


Ego Drabbles

by victory_cookies



Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Drinking, Fever, Fluff, Gen, Needles, Poisoning, Possesion, Whump, also jsyk im not editing any of this even though it's like a year old, but honestly its 2am and i am too tired to redo it all so here you go, gosh all of this stuff is old but im putting it here anyway!, i feel bad about using zalgo and stuff, if you're here you're probably aware of how chase is so like... yeah, superhero au, tags will be updated as I add more fics, there's also some injuries and character death but i've tried to put warnings on those chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2020-12-31 02:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 20,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victory_cookies/pseuds/victory_cookies
Summary: A collection of the short fics I have posted on my tumblr (@victory-cookies). They will probably mostly be Septic ego fics, will a few Iplier fics in there and maybe some other stuff, we'll see.





	1. Operation

Jameson woke up dizzy and disoriented. His mouth and lips were dry, and his hands tingled with numbness. Where am I? he thought groggily, shifting to sit up only to notice that his wrists and ankles were cuffed to the bed he lay on. He couldn’t move.

His brain was foggy with confusion. The last thing he could remember was a sharp prick in the neck and the hard slap of the floor as he had collapsed… but what had happened before that? He strained to remember, but nothing but a few hazy images surfaced.

Concerned, he looked around the dark room he lay in to gather his bearings. It was too dim to see much, but he was able to discern a few things. Medical tools, a heart rate monitor… this was Schneep’s lab, he knew that for sure… why was he strapped to the operation table?

Suddenly, the lights in the room flickered on, revealing Schneep himself standing in the door to the lab. JJ struggled to turn and face him.

**“Doctor! Come here, if you will!”** the gentleman exclaimed worriedly. **“Please help me! I’ve been strapped down to the table, and I cannot get free!”**

Schneep smiled cruelly. “Oh, I know, _Kleiner_. That is the point of being restrained.” He laughed, slowly approaching the other ego as he struggled against his cuffs. “Just relax. All of that flailing will do you nothing.”

Jameson shivered. **“Henrik, what is happening? This is very unlike you, to be so… forceful…”** He shrank back as Schneep approached, warily watching as the doctor grabbed an empty syringe from his equipment cart. **“What are you doing?”**

Henrik smirked, pulling a small vial of yellowish liquid out of his scrub pocket. “Just a little bit of surgery, Jameson. Nothing that you cannot handle.” He inserted the syringe through the top of the vial, pulling a dose into the tube. He then flicked the glass a few times, inspecting the liquid. Satisfied, he slipped the vial back into his pocket and readied the needle in his other hand. “Now, Jameson, this will make it not hurt so much, as long as you stay still so that the poison does not kick in.”

JJ’s face paled. **“Wha… poison?”**

“It is just to ensure you… behave,” the doctor replied, grinning sadistically. “Now, little one, let us see if we can give you a voice, ja?”

**“Henrik, whyever are you doing this? Let me go!”** JJ’s speech slide was weak and shaky as he desperately pleaded to his friend.

“I͞t̨ įš ̶f̨ơr y̴o͟ur̡ o͠wn̸ ̢go͝ód͜, _m̸e͝i͡n̨̛͢e̛͏ ͏k̴l̵e͘͡i҉̷͞n̷e͘͟ ̕͞P͢u̵p͝p̶e_.́ Ǹ̸o̵̴͞w ̡g͘͜o̢͘ ̨t́͟͡o̡̧ s̢͝l̶͝͞ee҉҉p҉͢…̢͢”

Jameson could only scream silently as the needle plunged into his neck.


	2. Anti-Hero

Jackie bolted upright in bed, clutching his head and grunting in pain. All of a sudden a brutal headache had drilled itself into his temples, throbbing in pulses of burning fire. A small cry escaped him as a particularly bad wave of the ache hit, and he clenched his eyes shut as darkness threatened to overtake him. It was all he could do to dull the pain; he sat there, shaking in anguish, unable to move for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually, he managed to flop out of bed, gingery untwisting his sheets from his legs as he slid onto the floor, gritting his teeth at the barely tolerable ache. He slowly dragged himself to the washroom, feeling along the wall to make his way in the dark and pushing the door open as quietly as he could, every sound another nail into his skull.

When he reached the sink, he exhaled shakily and splashed a bit of water on his face, taking the small bit of cool relief it gave with pleasure. Swallowing dryly, he braced his hands on the edge of the basin and took another shaky breath, convulsing slightly as another hit of pain overtook him.

He hadn’t had a headache this bad for as long as he could remember. What’s going on with me? he wondered, panting.

Jackie stared at his pale face in the mirror, watching his strained breathing, until, without warning, his brain exploded with pain. It was all-consuming, a thousand times worse than any injury he’d ever gotten on the job. He wasn’t sure if he was screaming or if it was all in his head.

The mirror in front of him shattered.

Screams and laughter and static filled his head as he stumbled backwards against the wall behind him. A joyful cackle rang through his ears.

“Y͡o͢u thoug͢h͢t̕ ̷I̵ wa̷sn͞’t co̶m̕i̸n̨g b̴͝ac҉k͟͞ ̸̕,͡ d͟id͞n͏’͟t ̧y̸ou̸, h͝ero?̛”

“I- agh! No!” he whimpered as he slumped to the ground, digging his fingers into his temples. “Please, stop!”

The glitchy voice inside his mind snickered. “Wh̨y ͢w̸ou̷ld I͢? ͢You’͡re͏ ͜suc̸cumb̡ing ̛a̧l͜ŗe͢ad̛y, ̷p̴up̷pet.̢ ͜I̢ ̴w̶o̴u̴ld’͝vȩ ̛thou͝ght y͢oư’̕d̴ a͝t ͏l̸eas͘t p͟u҉t u͢p̡ a͘ ͢bit̡ ҉o̸f a ͜fig̵ht̸.”

The pressure in Jackie’s temples increased, and he gently curled into a fetal position on the ground as the ache took further hold. Tears streamed down his cheeks as the blood drained from his face. “Get out of my head!” he choked.

Anti laughed. “Jųs͡t͝ let ̴i͢t ha̢pp͠e̢n҉, ̴Ja̸ck̕i̕eb̡o̸y͘… ҉i͢t’l̵l̢ b̛e ̵s͜o ̧eąs͝y͞,̴” he purred as Jackie shuddered on the cold tiles. Darkness and static pushed deeper into the hero’s head, filling his vision and clouding every thought. Images of torture and death and pain and glee swirled around him, replacing his own mind with nothing but emptiness and complacency.

Small trails of blood began to flow from his eyes, and he clawed at them, trying to relieve the pain. With one last scream, the darkness consumed him and he stilled on the floor.

After a few silent moments, a crackle of static appeared in the corner of the room. Then, with a grating screech, Anti materialised, blood pouring from his throat. He giggled, looking at Jackie’s pained, still figure.

He walked over and bent to crouch by the hero’s prone form. “N̢ot ̡so ͜p̨o͝w͜e̵rf̷ul̵ ̨an̴ym̢o͡r͟e̛,̕ a͡re ͠y͘ou̴, ͏pu̴ppet͜?͡ Y͞o̢u’r̡e m͘ine ͞now̵…” Tracing his thumb along Jackie’s pale cheek, he smiled. “So͡ let̡’s ͡s̶ee͏ w̡h͢at̨ e̴v͝ery͞o̢ne t̶hi͡n̸ks̸ ̸w̢hen ̨th̵e h͝e̛ro͞ b̧e̴com̢e͠s t͡he ̨v̴illain.̢”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, what a punny name, Vic! Hilarious /and/ creative.
> 
> Also, y'all please let me know if you need zalgo translations. I don't have time to do them right now but if you want them I'll try to get those done ASAP.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on a prompt from tumblr)
> 
> kairomancerr asked:
> 
> Mmkay, so since I'm way too find of all the angst and whump (and really just love seeing how people write these two??) how's about we see some P for poison with poisoned!jackieboyman and schneep? ;P

Schneep opened the door to see a tired looking Jackieboy in front of him. He smiled. “Ah, you are back! How was the banquet, Jackie?”

Jackie shrugged and shuffled his way inside. “Pretty good… we had some nice chicken, and there was a good blueberry pie… some other stuff…” he mumbled. “Hey, Hen, d'you got a Tylenol or something? I’ve got a headache.”

The doctor nodded. “Of course I do! I will go grab one for you.” He turned around quickly and hurried to his lab to grab the pills.

When he retuned with the bottle, Jackie was leaned up against the wall, breathing hard. His face was flushed a bright red, and he was swallowing hard and blinking furiously. He didn’t acknowledge the doctor until he was right next to him and Henrik touched him gently in the shoulder.

“Jackie, are you alright?” he asked worriedly.

Jackie shook his head. “Feel funny. E'rything’s really bright, Hen. Bright ‘n blurry. Do y'ave a Tylenol, Hen? My head hurts… really hurts.”

Schneep’s brow furrowed. “What’s going on, Jackie?” He turned the hero to face him by the shoulders and scanned him up and down. “Hmm… your pupils are very big… and you have a headache? What did you eat, you said?”

“Some chicken… Potatoes, pie, some other things…”

“Anything that made you feel funny?”

Jackie didn’t respond, but stumbled forward into Henrik’s arms. “Don’t feel good…” he whispered.

Schneep barely had time to process before Jackie became nothing but dead weight.


	4. Chapter 4

“No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Jackie mumbled, tossing restlessly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean t—”

“Jackie, wake up!”

He shot awake, bolting upright and tossing Marv’s gentle hand off his shoulder. Breathing heavily, he turned to look at the magician, who was on his knees next to the hero. In the dim light of the hideout, he could barely see the concerned look on Marvin’s face.

“You okay, man?” Marv asked. “You were having a bad dream… Was— was it about last night?”

Jackie swallowed. He could still see their pained face as he constricted his hands around their throat, mind filled with a blind rage as he felt them struggle to breathe in his grip. He could still feel the ecstatic glee that filled him as the light left their eyes, could still hear Marvin’s screams as he laughed uncontrollably because of it. He could still remember the moment his mind became fully his again, the pure horror and self-hatred as he realized what he had done.

When he didn’t speak, Marv shuffled closer to him and leaned his head on the hero’s shoulder. “What happened wasn’t your fault, Jackie. You were being controlled… You— you weren’t yourself.”

Jackie dipped his head. “That doesn’t change what I did.”

Marvin pursed his lips and put his hand back on Jackie’s shoulder. For a minute the two of them just sat there.

“Not everyone can be saved, Jackie. What’s important is that whatever happens, you don’t blame yourself. You’re a hero, Jackieboy. What happened to them doesn’t change that. You were trying to save them and that’s what matters… It wasn’t you after that. You’re not like that. You’re amazing, okay?”

Jackie turned his head away and nodded gently. “Okay…”

Marvin smiled. “Everything’ll be alright, hero.”

Jackie was glad that the hideout was dark enough that Marv couldn’t see him crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for Jackie and Marv content y'all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on a tumblr prompt)
> 
> beerecordings asked:
> 
> limp with JJ and whoever else you want? thanks vic!

JJ hoped that he’d be able to make it to his room like this. Any pressure on his right foot sent shots of pain rushing up his leg, but he was determined to hobble there. He just needed to sit down.**  
**

He hissed as he set his foot down again._ Maybe I should go see the doctor… _he thought. _No, everyone has said that they are busy tonight. I’ll make do by myself._

As he shuffled past the living room, he noticed Chase, fully engrossed in whatever was on his computer. Hopefully, he wouldn’t notice the younger ego limping past him. Chase had a penchant for going full-on dad mode when someone was hurt, and Jameson knew that he had a lot on his mind already. He wouldn’t want to add more to his already full plate.

He had nearly made it past the room when he heard a voice call out behind him. “Hey Jem, you doing okay?” Chase asked.

JJ turned around slowly, trying to keep his weight off his bad foot. He smiled painfully.** “Oh, yes! I’m doing just spiffy. It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it? Quite grand,”** he quickly replied.

Chase’s brow furrowed and he set down his computer on the coffee table. “Are you sure, dude? You’re standing sorta weird.” He stood up and walked over to JJ, who curled away nervously. “Is something wrong with your foot?”

**“Oh, no, I’m quite alright! There’s no need to worry about me, Chase!”** he laughed, his speech slide shaking slightly.

Chase pursed his lips and bent down to inspect Jameson’s leg, slowly hiking up the pant leg to reveal his ankle. He exhaled worriedly as he took in the red, swollen joint and looked up at JJ. “What happened?”

**“I just took a bit of a stumble in town today and twisted it… It’s nothing to concern yourself over, my good chap. I can handle it.”**

Chase stood up and put his hand on the gentleman’s shoulder. “Nuh-uh, Jem. That’s pretty bad looking. I’m taking you to Schneep.”

JJ shook his head. **“Oh no, I’m quite fine! I wouldn’t want to worry any of you… You are all very busy, I- oh!”**

He stiffened as Chase swooped him up into his arms. “We’re going to see Schneep, JJ. And you don’t need to worry about us. You’re much more important.” Chase began to walk towards the lab. “C’mon, let’s go get you fixed up.”


	6. Are You Still Here?

Chase had been sitting quietly next to Jack’s hospital bed for at least an hour, the only sounds in the room those of whirring machines and the beep of the heart rate monitor. He stared at his comatose friend in sadness.

Jack’s face looked peaceful, as though he was merely asleep. It hadn’t always been that way, Chase recalled. He had once, in desperation, tried to tell Jack to wake up. In response, Jack had begun to convulse as though he was having a seizure, before muttering a few words and stilling. That encounter had scared Chase enough to keep him away from the hospital for a week. He’d never told anyone about it, but it gave him a bit of hope that there was still someone in there. At least, it used to…

“It’s been so long,” the vlogger whispered to his friend. “Are you still here?”

As usual, he got no response. To his surprise, he had to choke back a sob. He missed Jack. He really did. He swallowed, his shoulders sagging.

“Where are you, Jack?” he asked softly.

Chase only looked up when a nurse walked silently into the room. She approached Jack’s bed and began to change his IV without a word.

The heart rate monitor continued to beep steadily.

When the nurse finished, she gathered her equipment and began to walk out of the room. Just before she reached the door, though, she turned back towards Chase.

“I see you here a lot.” she said. “Are… are you his brother?”

Chase smiled sadly. He didn’t want to lie, but oh, what she would think if he told her what he really was. He thought for a second. “No, I’m just… his friend,” he answered finally.

The nurse nodded. “He’s lucky to have you,” she added after a short pause.

“Thanks,” Chase replied, blinking tears from his eyes.

The nurse took a step out of the room. “Have a good day, I guess.”

“You too.”

Chase was glad she was gone, so that she couldn’t see him crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was based on a sad and amazing drawing by amadeus-webcomic on tumblr, which can be found at https://amadeus-webcomic.tumblr.com/post/178997720918/jack-as-bedridden-and-a-character-of-your


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on a tumblr prompt)
> 
> Anonymous asked:
> 
> F- fever with sick!Schneep and your choice :3c

Schneep exhaled shakily as Chase continued to dab the damp cloth across his brow. It wasn’t doing a whole ton, but the cool wetness of it gave him a bit of relief from the feverish heat and he took it gladly.

He looked up at the other ego. “Thank you for this, Chase… It is normally my job to do the caregiving for the sick ones, not to be the sick one.”

Chase grinned, patting Henrik on the shoulder. “I used to have to do things like this for my kids all the time. It’s no problem, Hen. You do enough caregiving as it is. And besides, you were bound to catch something from your patients sooner or later. You had this coming, bro.”

The doctor smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but stiffened as another wave of chills hit him full force. Curling into a small ball on the sofa cushions, he whimpered softly. “It hurts, Chase.”

Chase rubbed his back softly as he shivered, whispering soothingly. “It’ll be okay, Hen. Just breathe. Just like that. Breathe it out.”

Schneep stayed curled in the ball as the chills slowly faded. After a minute, he unfurled himself and looked back at Chase. “’m thirsty.” he mumbled quietly. “Could you… Could you get me some water?”

The vlogger nodded and stood up. “You got it. It’ll be alright, ‘kay? It’ll be alright.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on a tumblr prompt)
> 
> obsidiancreates asked:
> 
> "I think I need a hug," with Jackie and JJ?

Jameson deflated in a silent sigh as another ‘Game Over’ screen flashed on the tv. He set down his controller and turned to Jackie, who eyes showed just enough pity and sympathy that it sent a flush rushing to JJ’s cheeks.

**“I’ve lost again, Jackie. I– I don’t think that I’m ever going to get the hang of this…”** he muttered.

Jackie scooched closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Sure you will, Jamie! You just gotta keep trying!” he assured him, smiling encouragingly. He picked up the controller and handed it back to JJ. “Now, how ‘bout we try again, and I’ll help you a bit more. I made a promise to Chase that I’d teach you how to play, and I’m not about to break it!”

JJ nodded and set the game running again. His face contorted in concentration as the level progressed, but he was managing to play the best round he had all day. With every success, Jackie let out a shout of joy.

“You’re almost there, JJ!” he exclaimed.

Suddenly, the screen alerted Jameson that he’d been hit, and with that, his HP dropped dangerously low. Jackie sucked in nervously as JJ tried to manoeuvre around the gameworld safely, but not a few seconds later, the ‘Game Over’ screen returned as his health disappeared.

JJ grumbled and threw down the controller in frustration. **“Ah, bollocks! I’m never going to figure this out!” **He placed his head in his hands. **“I’ll never be able to play like you, or Chase, or Master McLoughlin! I’m useless at this!”**

“Aww, JJ, it’s alright. You did great,” Jackie replied.

JJ didn’t speak for a minute, but after a while a timid speech slide floated up in front of Jackie. **“I think I need a hug…”**

Jackie nodded and pulled him into his side, squeezing him tightly. Jameson shook slightly, as though he was about to cry, and Jackie rubbed his arm comfortingly. “You did your best, JJ. I’m very proud of you, and I know that Chase and Jack would be too. It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay.”


	9. Sweater

“Mr. JJ, are you gonna come outside to play with us?”

Jameson startled at the sound of the small voice from beside him. He shut the book he was reading and glanced over at the sound. A cute little girl stood next to the couch, looking hopefully at him. “Are you?” she asked again, grabbing at his hand.

“Whoa there, sweetie. Don’t bother him,” Chase chuckled, walking into the living room after his daughter. “He doesn’t have to come out if he doesn’t want to.”

“But he wants to, right? You want to come out, don’t you, Mr. JJ?” she urged sweetly.

Chase ran a hand through his hair and looked pointedly at the other ego. “Don’t feel pressured, Jem.”

Jameson smiled at the young girl.** “Well, I would love to, but it seems as though it is a tad chilly outside. I would loathe to catch a cold from it.”**

The girl frowned for a second before he face lit up with realisation. “We can get you a sweater to keep you warm!” she exclaimed happily. “Daddy has lots of sweaters! C’mon, Mr. JJ, it’ll be so much fun!”

**“Well, I suppose, if you insist…”** JJ conceded, heart melting at the girl’s puppy-dog eyes. He stood up, straightening his vest. **“Shall we?”**

Chase’s mouth twisted into a small smile. “Let’s go find you a sweater, then,” he declared, ruffling his daughter’s hair absentmindedly.

The three of them walked down the hall towards Chase’s room, the vlogger’s hand on his daughter’s shoulder as she bounced excitedly, giggling. Jameson chortled silently as he watched her.

They entered Chase’s room, and his daughter immediately pulled open the closet door to reveal a mess of t-shirts, jeans and sweaters strewn all over the place. His face reddened when he saw the chaos of clothing, and he quickly pulled out a large hoodie and shut the door.

His daughter giggled again. “Mommy would be mad if she saw all that mess, Daddy. You need to clean up!”

Chase pursed his lips and looked at his feet dejectedly. “Yeah…” he murmured, pulling the hoodie right-side out and handing it to JJ, who frowned.

**“Are you alright, Chase?”** he asked. Chase just nodded.

“Why don’t you put that on and we can head outside?” he proposed.

**“Sounds grand.”** Jameson loosened his bowtie and pulled it off before unbuttoning his vest and taking it off carefully. He slid the hoodie over his head.

Chase snorted as the sweater settled over the gentleman’s small frame.

**“It appears to be a touch… large…” **JJ started, looking at how the sleeves hung far over his hands. Chase laughed in response, and Jameson frowned good-naturedly. Suddenly, the older ego’s face lit up.

“Hold on,” he shouted, rushing out of the room. “I have an idea!”

A few seconds later he returned with a knitted beanie, which he promptly pulled onto Jameson’s crown. He booped JJ’s nose and then stepped back to admire his handiwork.

“You’re so cute!” Chase’s daughter squealed with joy.

Jameson bit his lip, suppressing a smile. **“I feel very warm… and comfortable.” **He waved his long sleeves back and forth happily.

Chase’s daughter grabbed one of the sleeves, beginning to drag him back out of the room. “C’mon! Let’s go play!”

The posse made their way out of the room and into the backyard quickly. Chase immediately grabbed a rake and begun to gather the fallen leaves that were scattered on the ground into a gigantic pile. Once he was done, he set down the rake and grabbed his daughter’s hand, squeezing it affectionately.

“On three, okay, honeybun?” he whispered. “Three… two…one!”

The two of them took off running and leaped into the golden pile. The leaves poofed outward as they landed in them, and Jameson clapped happily as the colourful confetti rained back down on them.

Chase stood up, brushing off his shirt and hair. “You wanna try, JJ?” he laughed.

Jameson nodded vigorously, and Chase ran back to gran the rake to put the leaves back into a proper heap. Once a pile had been collected, he turned to the JJ.

“Go ahead,” he instructed.

Jameson smiled and took off, throwing himself into the crunchy mound and flopping onto his back. He grinned widely.

“Having fun, Jem?” Chase shouted.

Jameson didn’t respond for a second, but after a moment a bright speech slide float up into the air. **“<3”**

Chase snorted. “Less than three?”

**“Indeed!”** JJ replied, sitting up while beaming with joy. **“Care to join me?”**

Chase’s daughter ran to go join him in the pile, giggling. Chase followed soon after, and they all sat in the leaves, laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This still gives me the fall fuzzies.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woof it has been a hot minute since I've uploaded more of my old stuff here huh

“Daddy?”

Chase could barely hear the small voice over the rumble of thunder outside his window. He sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes and glancing at the cracked-open door. In the beam of light from the hallway stood two small figures, one holding and blanket tightly to her chest, the other clutching a stuffed bear.

Chase sat up farther and turned to face the door. “What’s up?” he asked, voice dry and raspy.

“We can’t sleep.” his daughter whispered in reply, flinching slightly as another crash of thunder boomed outside.

Chase sighed lightly and motioned towards the bed. “C’mere, then. You can sleep with us.”

The kids quickly scurried into the bed, crawling in between him and a sleeping Stacy.

Chase wrapped his arm around his son, who snuggled into him in response. “Better?” he asked. His son nodded.

Suddenly, another wave of thunder began. Lightning flashed through the windows, and the kids let out small whimpers as the rumbles receded.

“I’m scared, Daddy…”

Chase pursed his lips. Then he took a deep breath, swallowing in the hopes of working some moisture back into his throat.

He sang the first song that came to mind, one that he hadn’t heard in years, but he’d always loved.

“_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you…_” He smiled as he felt the kids relax beside him, both sighing sleepily. “_Please don’t take my sunshine away…_”


	11. Chapter 11

Marvin glanced up from his dinner to see a determined looking Jackie stride past him towards the door. The hero was still zipping up his suit as he walked.

“Where y’goin’?” the magician asked through a mouthful of food.

“Out,” Jackie replied quickly, glancing around distractedly.

Marvin set down his fork. “Out where?”

“You know, just on routine patrol…” the hero replied, almost nervously. He took a step towards the door.

“No, you’re not.” Marv looked at Jackie skeptically. “You’re acting really weird. What’s going on?”

Jackie bit his lip. “I’m going to stop him.”

“What! Are you insane? You can’t!”

“I need to.”

Marvin stood up abruptly. “Jackie, you could die. Why are you doing this alone? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Jackie looked down. “I don’t want you guys to get hurt. And I can handle him myself.”

Marv glared at him in disappointment. “Jackieboy, we’ve proved before that there is no way to do this alone.”

“Anti needs to be stopped, Marv! I’ve grown stronger lately; we all have,” Jackie yelled. “I can do it. I need to go.”

Marvin pursed his lips. “Well, you aren’t going alone.” He walked forward, straitened the collar of his shirt and snapped his fingers. A shower of greenish-white sparks fell over him, transforming his casual clothes into a full magician’s outfit, cape and all. His mask sat perched atop his forehead.

Jackie smiled. “If you insist.”

Marv pulled his mask down in response. “Shall we?”


	12. Chapter 12

“You alright there, bud?”

Chase startled at the noise, snapping out if the fog that filled his brain. His vision swam as he tried to look up at his production assistant, and he nodded slowly, trying to keep from falling over. “Yeah… ’m good.”

“If you say so,” the assistant replied, grasping his shoulder. “Take a few minute before the next shot, man. We don’t want you to faint on the job.” He then walked away, leaving Chase swaying where he stood, eyes burning from the bright fluorescent lights above him.

With every second, the lights seemed to grow brighter, too. His legs shook and his eyes began to fill with white spots, sparkling mesmerizingly and making his head rush. His brain clouded even further, mind filling with molasses, every thought coming slower and slower until he have up on thinking altogether. He sat down, his limbs heavy, and stared off into the distance.

He didn’t feel a second pass, but suddenly, there was someone crouching in front of him.

“Chase? What is going on? Are you alright, my friend?”

He blinked slowly and his droopy eyes fluttered up to see the face of a concerned-looking doctor. “Oh, hey, Schneep… Yeah, ’m alright…” He paused, tongue feeling heavy in his mouth as he tried to speak. “What’re you doin’ here?”

Henrik’s brows knitted and he pushed up his glasses. “You called me, remember? You say you don’t feel too good, no?”

Chase shook his head. “I didn’ call you… Least I don’t think so…”

Mumbling some quiet German, the doctor reached up to place his had and on Chase’s forehead, but Chase reeled back. “Hnng, no, don’ touch me!”

“Chase, I am thinking that you are delirious. You must let me take your temperature!”

Chase didn’t respond. His vision had begun to tunnel, and all he could think of was how goddamn bright it was. The light burned at his retinas, a drilling pain into his head. Every other thought left his mind, even as Schneep continued to talk urgently to him. He just needed it to stop, god, he needed it to stop! Maybe he’d just close his eyes for a moment… That would make the light stop.

“No, Chase, keep your eyes open! Stay with me, buddy!”

He sighed gently, feeling his eyelids flutter shut. He slumped backwards, feeling relieved that the bright assault of the lights was gone.

“Chase! Chase, wake up! You are burning up, Chase, we need to get you to the hospital! Chase!”

Chase relaxed into the floor. He was so… tired. Maybe he’d just take a quick nap… just a quick one.


	13. Chapter 13

Schneep had awoken to the soft sound of footsteps on the roof. Tired as he was, he still shuffled out of bed and pulled on a pair of slippers and his favourite robe. He padded up the stairs as quietly as he could, and with a tiny creak pushed open the door to the roof.

Out in the warm and windy nighttime air stood Jackie, facing out towards the city below with his cape fluttering in the breeze. Henrik slowly made his way over to stand beside him, gazing out over the glowing metropolis beneath them.

“How was patrol, Jackie?” Schneep asked after a quiet minute.

Jackie shrugged. “Pretty good. Nothing much happened, which is about all I can ask for these days.”

The low rumble of traffic floated up from the city, filling the space in the returning silence. After a moment, Jackie sat himself down on the edge of the building, and Schneep followed suit. The doctor leaned his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“You should probably go to bed, Jackie. You have been out all of the day and the night, my friend. You must be tired.”

Sighing, the hero looked up at the starry night sky above him. “Yeah, I guess you’re probably right… though—” He chuckled. “Sleep _is_ for the weak.”

Henrik smiled. “Indeed it is.”

Neither of them spoke for a while. The silence between the was comfortable, and when Schneep eventually drifted back to dreamland, still resting on Jackie’s shoulder, the hero knew that there was nowhere he’d rather be.


	14. Chapter 14

“Could I interest you in a kiss, Jamie?” Marv asked, a sly grin on his face as he appeared suddenly behind the unsuspecting gentleman.

JJ whipped around, a faint blush spreading to his cheeks. “Oh, I, uh, I’m sorry Marvin, that’s very flattering of you, but I, uh, I don’t like you in that w— oh!”

Marvin held a chocolate kiss to Jameson’s nose, grinning. “Happy Valentine’s Day, JJ.”

The younger ego sighed and plucked the chocolate from Marv’s fingers. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, face relaxing in pleasure as it melted, but after a second he opened his eyes and furrowed his brow in confusion. “Wait… Hershey Kisses are still in production? They’ve been around since my time!”

Marvin shrugged. “Yeah, I guess they are…”

Jameson smiled.“Well that’s splendid, because I love them! Thank you very much, Marvin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: kisses were invented in 1907


	15. Chapter 15

“Uhhhggg, we shouldn’t have eaten all that candy,” Jackie moaned tiredly, throwing himself down onto the couch between a dazed-looking Chase and a shivering Jameson.

Marv let his head flop into the table, groaning. “You can say that again.”

“Uhhhggg, we shouldn’t have eaten all that candy,” Jackie repeated. He rubbed his eyes. “Gah… Schneep, what are the symptoms of a sugar crash?”

Henrik didn’t look up from his spot facedown on the carpet, his voice muffled. “Symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia could be a little bit of lightheadedness, dizziness, shakes, anxiety, confusion, irritability, sweating, weakness, sleepiness, hunger and fainting.”

Chase and JJ slowly nodded in unison. “Yeah, that seems about right…” Chase mumbled absently.

Marvin yawned and raised a hand, shaking a finger at the other egos. “Next year, we’re going on a diet.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: Schneep testing a new serum for jackieboy -only for it to spill on him,! The next day, the doc wakes up with superhuman strength, the ability to fly and turn invisible, etc.!!

“So you are saying that this will make Jackie have more power?” Schneep asked, swirling the bottle he was holding around slowly. He inspected the glowing liquid with intrigue, eyebrows raising as the light flickered across his face.

Marv nodded. “Theoretically… I’ve only dealt in serums like these a few times, but if I’m correct, you can administer this to Jackie and it’ll amp up his powers.” He paused. “Just be careful with it, Hen. Shit like this is unpredictable sometimes. Make sure not overdose him on it… too much magic in an unprepared vessel can be really dangerous… and to be honest, I’m not even one-hundred percent sure I know what this does, so, uh, stay safe with it…“

Henrik nodded and set the bottle down on the counter beside him. “Will do, Marvin. I will prepare it for him right now. Safely, of course.”

“Cool. See you later, Schneep.” Then, with a swish of his cape, the magician disappeared.

Henrik picked the serum back up and flicked the glass. Pursing his lips, he turned around, eyes scanning the room. He need a syringe… where did he put them? Damn JJ telling him to reorganize the lab… He set the glass back down and opened the cupboard below the counter. To his relief, there were a few sitting on one of the shelves. He bent down, grabbed one quickly, and went to stand back up.

“Ah!” he exclaimed as his head hit the edge of the counter. Groaning, he rubbed the now-aching back of his skull and sighed, but then took a sharp breath as he felt something cold and wet drip down onto his hand and neck.

He shot back up to see the bottle of glowing serum knocked over and slowly seeping out onto and off of the counter… and when he glanced at his hand, it was clear where the dripping liquid had ended up.

“_Scheiße_…” he whispered, righting the bottle and quickly rushing over to the sink to wash the glowing residue off of his hand, which seemed to be quickly disappearing.

That wasn’t good.

He ran his contaminated hand under the water for a minute, using the other to try to wipe off his neck, but it was of no use. The serum was already gone.

Schneep hissed in worry and collapsed into his nearby chair. “_Nun, das ist nicht gut,_” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “_Sehr nicht gut…_”

He sat there for a minute, trying to tell if Marv’s special serum had affected him in any way… it didn’t seem like it… he felt the same as he always did. Maybe it had just evaporated very quickly, and therefore had no effect on him! That seemed about right! Rubbing his eyes, he tried to ignore the pit growing in his stomach. He’d be fine… right?

He stood up slowly, shrugging. "Jackie!” he yelled. “Come here! It is time to try out the new serum!”

After a second, a muffled “okay!” drifted up from downstairs.

Schneep sighed walked back over to the counter where the bottle and syringe were sitting. He reached out to grab the syringe, but halted as he was hit by a sudden head rush. His vision swam, and he stumbled forward, arms shooting out to catch himself on the countertop. When he glanced down, though, he couldn’t see them. “Was zum…” he thought sluggishly. His brows furrowed and he blinked rapidly as the fuzz in his head began to clear, and suddenly his arms were back. He shook his head dumbfoundedly. Behind him, he heard click of a door opening, and he turned around.

“Hey Schne— oh, you okay, dude? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Jackie commented, walking into the lab.

“I am fine,” Schneep replied pointedly, turning back around again to grab the syringe. “Have a seat, my friend. I am just preparing Marvin’s serum for you now.”

Jackie nodded and took a seat. Schneep continued to ready the serum, pulling a small dose into the syringe before setting it back down onto the counter.

He turned around. “Let me just grab something to disinfect with,” he muttered, hurrying across the room to find some rubbing alcohol. “Hmm, where did I— AH!”

Another head rush filled the doctor’s mind with cotton, but this time it sent a shock of pain shooting behind his eyes. He cried out and stumbled into the nearby filing cabinet, gripping the top of it tightly and hissing in pain.

“Schneep! Are you alright?” Jackie shouted, quickly standing up. He began to run over to where Henrik was standing, but stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a loud groaning noise. His eyes widened as he realized where it was coming from.

Schneep’s fingers were digging into the top of the filing cabinet, eliciting a horrible grinding noise as the doctor continued to squeeze the metal tighter and tighter. His eyes were clenched shut, pain still laced within his temples. He began to shake slightly from the ache, and Jackie began to move closer to him again, concerned eyes pinned on the indented metal.

“Schneep, what’s going o—” the hero began, but the last word died on his lips as he took in Henrik’s shivering form. With every shudder, the younger ego was flickering in and out of sight. “Henrik?”

The fluff in Schneep’s mind began to clear. He stumbled backwards, confusion filling his eyes as he noticed the bent metal he had just been hanging onto.

Jackie grabbed onto his shoulders, spinning him around. “Schneep, talk to me! What’s going on!?”

Henrik cringed away in fear. “I do not know, Jackie! Something— I think that something is wrong with me! Do not touch me, Jackie! What if I hurt you!?”

Jackie shook Henrik’s shoulders. “You’re not gonna hurt—” he began, but suddenly Schneep had disappeared from his grip, and was standing against the back wall on the far side of the room. “How did you…?”

Schneep shook his head worriedly. “I— I do not know, but you must stay back… I don’t want to hurt you on an accident… something is wrong with me, Jackie.”

Jackie took a step towards him. “Schneep—”

“No!”

And with that, Jackie was alone in the room.


	17. Chapter 17

“I wish I could fly, right up to the sky, but I can’t…”

JJ looked up from his book as he heard the high falsetto drifting up from downstairs. He squinted in confusion and set his book down before standing up.

Downstairs, another, deeper, German-tinged voice sang a reply: “You can’t?”

“I can’t!” cried the falsetto.

Jameson began to make his way down the staircase as the odd, conversation-like song continued to be belted from afar. He made his way towards the sound and ended up in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at Schneep and Marv doing the dishes together.

Neither of them noticed JJ by the door, and he chuckled, confused, as they started into the chorus.

Schneep looked at Marvin with stupidly-wide eyes. “Orville?” he sang, his accent thinner than normal and falsely British sounding.

Marvin grinned. “Yes?” His voice edged on unpleasantly high, squeaking slightly.

“Who is your very best friend?”

The magician gave an exaggerated sigh. “You are…”

“I’m gonna help you mend, your broken heart.” Henrik placed a hand on Marv’s back. “You hear what I’m saying? Or…ville…” He drifted off as he noticed JJ in the door, looking confusedly at the two singers. A blush rose up the doctor’s neck.

Marvin snorted, setting down a soapy plate and shaking his hands dry. “Enjoy the performance, Jamie?”

Jameson nodded slowly. “Indeed, though I am quite unsure of what is going on… what were you singing?”

“It is just a song from around when me and Marvin were young children,” Schneep huffed, turning away.

JJ laughed silently. “Alright then. You chaps did very well, Doc. No need to feel embarrassed!”

Schneep didn’t reply, instead focusing intently on drying off the dish in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what I was thinking when I wrote this but here's the song 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teiA9rfV9G0


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a superhero au... you can find the explanation post here:
> 
> https://victory-cookies.tumblr.com/post/183235059845/well-heres-a-hero-au-that-no-one-asked-for

The world was so busy now…

Around JJ, people bustled and hurried about, jostling past him with their odd bricks pressed to their ears, talking in hushed voices and avoiding each other’s eyes. He weaved through the tightly crowded sidewalk, looking at the shining buildings above him and at the numerous automobiles driving past him on the smooth asphalt of the street.

_How did I end up here?_ he wondered as he continued towards the corner. His mind provided no answers. It had only been a few days that he had been in this part of time, and he had yet to figure out why or how he got here. It was head-spinning for him to even think about.

Sighing, he grabbed for the pocket watch at his breast. Rubbing his thumb over its smooth, worn backing, he took a look at the hands. They still showed the exact time they were when suddenly found himself in the future: 12:57pm. No matter how much he had tried to re-wind the watch, it stayed stuck at 12:57… and yet, he still swore he could hear a faint ticking noise coming from it when he held it up to his ear.

“Hey, dude, watch out!”

Jameson’s head whipped up at the cry, and beside him, he heard a loud, blaring horn.

* * *

The car was inches away from him when it came to a halt. JJ’s eyes were glued shut, and he nearly tripped backwards. After a second, he took a peak, shocked that he hadn’t been crushed by the oncoming vehicle. He breathed out a sigh of relief and managed to stumble back into the sidewalk, eyes still half-shut.

It took him a moment to notice that something was off.

_Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat…_

Around him, there was no movement at all… everything was frozen. JJ took a step backwards in confusion. A deafening silence filled the impossibly-still air, the only sounds Jameson’s footsteps and the unmistakable tick of a pocket watch.

_What in the world is going on…? _he asked himself._Goodness, have I gone insane? Whatever is happening?_

Timidly, he reached out to touch a nearby person on the sidewalk. Was this even real? His fingers brushed against the man’s lapel gently. _Curious…_

Then, with no warning, the sound and movement came crashing back in. The car sped through the intersection, and people continued to push past the stunned-looking gentleman in the streets.

Jameson rubbed at his eyes, stupefied. _How…? _Blinking, he took another look down at his watch.

It now read 12:59.


	19. Chapter 19

JJ pressed backward into Schneep as the ledge continued to crumble around them. “Henrik, what are we going to do…?”he asked fearfully.

Schneep wrapped his arms around the younger ego protectively. “I do not know, JJ… but we will get out I this.”

The two took another step backwards as another chuck of ledge broke off nearby, earning a yelp from Schneep.

Suddenly, a voice drifted up from below. “Schneep! Jamie! Can you hear me?!”

“_Ja_!” Henrik shouted, glancing at the ever-shrinking area left for the two to stand in.

“Alright! This may feel a little weird, but you’re gonna have to trust me! I’m gonna get you out of there!” came the voice again.

With that, two tendrils of green mist shot up to the two egos. The magic wrapped around their chests, constricting tightly before disappearing.

“Okay! Now, you guys really need to trust me! When I say jump, jump, and whatever you do, don’t look down!”

The two nodded, taking another step away from the disappearing edge. It began to crumble even faster, edging closer and closer to their feet. Schneep whimpered in fear.

The voice shouted again. “Okay, one… two… jump!”

The rest of the ledge fell from under their feet as they leaped into the air…

It was only when they realized they had yet to fall that they let out twin sighs of relief.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a-humble-narcissus asked: VIIIICCC!!!!! THE HERO AU IS AWESOME OH MY GOD!!!!!!... Uh.... *ahem* I-i mean, it’s pretty rad. Could we see Chase and JJ running into each other? Since both right now do not work with the heroes, I feel it would be interesting, hehehe

The television in the store’s window display was tuned to the local news channel. JJ watched as a headline flashed on the screen: ‘JACKIEBOYMAN AND MAGNIFICENT DEFEAT THE BLACKBIRD IN ANOTHER STUNNING SHOW OF BRAVERY’

He sighed. Those two sure did get a lot of attention, didn’t they? It was clear why, though, as he watched the footage of the two heroes throwing around their flashy powers with flares of light and energy. The public ate that sort of stuff up.

Not that he minded. He was content to do any and all of his hero work on the down-low. No one needed nor wanted to know about him, and he was just fine by that. People like Jackieboyman and Magnificent were far to commercialized it his taste, anyway.

He continued to watch the fight on the small screen. Soon, another man walked up beside him. Jameson took a quick glance at him, taking in his long coat and his ballcap and the tired bags under his eyes before turning back to the tv. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn’t place it.

They both stood there for a second, staring at the television quietly. Then, the stranger let out a small exhale.

“These two always get a bunch of love, don’t they?” he muttered, seemingly absentmindedly. “Even though they can’t do jackshit when it really counts…”

Jameson gave a hint of a nod, unsure if the man had meant to say that out loud.

The stranger sighed and turned away, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking off down the street.

Suddenly, a hint of a memory tugged at JJ’s mind. Eyes widening, his head whipped around to look at the man walking away down the sidewalk. It couldn’t be…

Biting his lip, he gave a subtle wave of his hand. Around him, the flow of time began to reverse, and within a few ticks of his watch, the man was back next to him.

Jameson’s breath caught as took a real look at the man. He knew why he looked so familiar now… the coat, the logo on his hat, the sadness in his eyes.

The last time he had seem them, he had been staring down the barrel of a gun.


	21. Chapter 21

Chase pushed open the front door slowly and stumbled inside. His vision swirled, the result of a few too many glasses, but he blinked it off and shut the door behind him with a sigh. The buzz in his head made him feel pleasantly numb and distant, and he leaned back against the door, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and opened his eyes to see a concerned-looking Jackie in front of him. “Chase? Where’ve you been all night?”

Chase coughed. “Jus’… out. Y'know…” he slurred. Distantly, he hoped that Jackie wouldn’t be able to smell the whiskey on his breath.

“Did…. did you go out drinking again?” Jackie asked.

Chase couldn’t stop himself from nodding.

Jackie looked at him in disappointment. “Chase…” he murmured. “You promised you wouldn’t… It’s unhealthy and dangerous, and I don’t want you to get yourself hurt because of this. We’ve talked about this!”

“’m fine, Jackie. Didn’t get hurt… ’m jus’ fine.”

“No, you’re not!” Jackie exclaimed. “You have to stop this, Chase. You can’t think straight when you’re all drunk!”

Chase didn’t reply for a second. “Sometimes I don’t wanna think straight…” he whispered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “It’s easier not to think straight. Things hurt when I think straight.”

Jackie pursed his lips. “But sometimes you have to.” He leaned in and pressed his forehead against Chase’s. “You have to promise me, Chase, promise me that you’ll stop doing this. You can get better. But not like this.”

Chase nodded, more and more tears blurring his vision. “‘kay…”

“Alright, then… let’s get you into bed.” Without warning, Jackie scooped up Chase into his arms and began to carry him towards the stairs. “You’ll get better, Chase. I promise. It just has to start with you. But I swear, I’ll make sure that you’ll be alright.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look an iplier ego ficlet

Dark sighed, pulling the fresh bandages tight over the Host’s blood-filled eye sockets. The old, scarlet soaked ones lay on the ground in front of the two.

“You should have told me that it was getting worse, Host. We can’t have you going around, bleeding out solely from pride,” the demon said through gritted teeth. “I can’t have you die.” He tied the cloth quickly and bent to retrieve the old bandages from the floor.

“The Host was in no danger of dying,” the other ego replied pointedly. “Dark should not have been concerned, nor should he pretend that that concern was over the person’s well-being and not his usefulness to him.”

“You’re… a necessary part of this operation, Host. I’ll stop being concerned when you learn to take better care of yourself,” Dark muttered.

The Host just bowed his head, and Dark pursed his lips before walking out of the room to dispose of the bandages.


	23. Chapter 23

The shadow always showed up when he felt empty. It had become a comforting presence… he knew that it shouldn’t be, but… it listened to him. It understood him.

“H̵e̕ll̸o, Mag̴i̕c͡ia̴n” it purred. “Not having a gøod day?”

The magician pulled his legs up to his chest, one hand limply holding his mask. He swallowed, pressing his face into his knees. “No…”

“Oh.” It pressed closer to him, its coldness making the magician’s skin tingle uncomfortably. “Why i̡s that?”

“It’s just…” The magician paused. “I dunno… it doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t care.”

“You cań tell me, M̨a̷gi̛cian. I don’t m̶ind.“

The magician took a deep breath. “Schneeplestein told me that… he told me that I shouldn’t exist. That no one cares about me. And I’m beginning to think he’s right…”

“_I_ car̨e͠ about you, Magician. How cŕue͟l of hįm to say something so untrūe!”

“He _is_ telling the truth, though. Jack doesn’t even know I exist. Look at me! No name, no family, nothing of importance to anyone. The fans barely know I exist. I’m just a con. A side-effect. A mistake.” The magician barely noticed the tears that had began running down his face as he choked out the last sentence.

The shadow seemed to lean into the magician, as though it was resting its head on his shoulder. It gave the ego a feeling of vertigo, and he could swear that the shadow seemed to darken, becoming a swirling, shifting, tangible mass.

Its voice floated around him, a sound not unlike music. Since when did it sound so nice to listen too…? "A m̀is͡t̢ake̸? My swėet Magìcian, you’re sca͢r̛ed… and b̧rơk͜éņ… but you are ñot a mistake. You have so much poten͘ti̡a̷l̵… the others are just too idiotic to see it. But _Į_ see it… I know that you could do gr̸ea͜t things.”

The magician sniffed. “Great things?”

“I wouldn’t li͟҉̀é͘͢ to you, Magician.” The shadow’s hand slid across his neck, so tenderly that he barely could feel it. “You just need a little— how should I put it— às̡̢s̴͘i̵͜s҉͠ta҉n̡͢c̢e.” It seemed to smile. “I could hèłp you, my f̨͘r͡į̴e̸͘͟n̴͜͜d̡. With me, the fans would notice you, love you, practically w̸͞or̨͢sh̡i̡͡ṕ you! You’d ne̶̴͜v͘ȩ̢ŕ̨ be seen as a mistake again.”

“Really?”

“O̧͝f ҉͢c͡o̸͝u̧r̛͠͞s͟e.” The shadow touched his cheek gingerly. “So what do you say, p͝e̶͘t̢?”

The magician’s head swam as the shadow’s hand brushed against him. He could’ve sworn he heard its voice skip, the music becoming sound of a broken record player… but that didn’t matter. No… it didn’t matter. “Okay.”

The shadow giggled. “M̕a̧g͠nif̴ic͢ent̵.͞ ҉Wh͏y don͏'t͏ yo͢ư ̴pu̶t on͟ ͟y͘o͞ur͘ ̶m̶as͞k̢,͢ Ma̴g̡iciaǹ. ́Th̶e̛n ́we can have some real f̴̸͘̕͠u̡͘͘n̷͠͠͏.”

He placed the mask back over his eyes, and with that, the world went dark.

* * *

“Zau?” Schneep rapped on the magician’s door, an apologetic look on his face. “_Zauberer_?” He knocked again.

When no one answered, he cracked open the door. “I am very sorry, my friend. I did not mean what I said earlier. I was angry, and…” He trailed off as he peeked in at the other ego. Something seemed… _different_ about him. “Zau?”

Wait.

Since when did the magician wear a black mask?

The magician stood up and strode over to the door. He smiled coldly. “I’m sure you’re very sorry, do҉ct͟or. But I don’t take kindly to people like you.”

Henrik chuckled nervously. “What do you…?”

He stopped speaking as he caught a glance of the swirls of static in the magicians eyes, emitting a mesmerizing glow. Unable to look away, he took a step closer.

The magician grinned. “You have so much to learn, doctor. But for now, Į́'͞͠ll ḩ̴ȩ͜͡l̡̀͞ṕ̵͘ ̧̨y̶̛͝o̡u ͟͝ou͟t.”

Schneep’s eyes fluttered shut, and he collapsed to the floor. The magician giggled and stepped over the body, his cape swishing behind him.

One down, one to go.


	24. Chapter 24

“We have to go where now?!” Chase exclaimed.

**“Three hours into the past, Mr Brody. It’s a when, not a where,”** the Timekeeper replied, straightening his vest.** “If you want to catch that villain, you’ll have to give yourself a head start.”**

Chase shook his head in confusion. “But… how are we going to do that?”

The gentleman chuckled silently.** “You don’t know much about me, do you? Why, I’m going to take you there.” **He offered his hand to Chase.

“Okay…” Chase reached out hesitantly, but paused before he grabbed the Timekeeper’s hand. He pulled back slightly. “This isn’t going to hurt me, is it?”

**“That is most unlikely. Now, would you like my help or not, Mr Brody?”**

“I, uh, I guess I would, yeah…”

**“Then take my hand.”**

Chase placed his hand in the Timekeeper’s firm grasp. “Alright… let’s do this.”

The Timekeeper smiled.** “Hold on tight, Trickshot. You wouldn’t want to lose yourself in time.”**

The world around them began to shimmer and warp. Chase’s chest tightened, and he squeezed the hand in his own fearfully. Something flashed brightly, and Chase found himself thrown to the pavement.

With a groan he pushed himself up. “What just happened…?”

**“We time-traveled, Mr Brody. I’m afraid I’ve never tried to take someone with me before, though…”** the Timekeeper admitted, brushing dust off of his vest. **“There still appears to be some kinks to work out…”**

Chase snorted. “No duh. But, uh, we’re three hours in the past now?”

**“Indeed.”**

“Cool… thanks for your help, uh… Timekeeper?”

The gentleman smiled. **“You may call me Jameson.”**

“Jameson. Awesome. Thanks, Jameson.”

Jameson nodded.** “It was nothing. I will see you in the future then, I suppose.” **He gave a small salute. **“Best of luck to you, Mr Brody.”**

“Heh, thanks.”

Jameson disappeared with a small flash of light, and Chase turned around, straightening his cap. He pulled his gun from its holster and spun it on his finger.

He had a villain to catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some more hero au, JJ is using speech slides in this one


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more hero boys

Schneep pressed his softly glowing hands to Jackieboy’s ribcage, feeling the shattered bone slowly shift back together as he pushed his power towards it. Jackie flinched slightly, his emotions flaring a pained white as the ribs clicked back into place.

“Agh… thanks, Medic.” Jackie grunted, rubbing his side gingerly.

Schneep nodded. “It was not a problem, Jackieboy.”

Jackie gave him a thumbs up, then stood up to leave.

“Wait,” called Henrik as the hero began to walk to the door. He could sense something bothering him, swirling around him in a deep indigo. “If I may ask… what happened today? You seem… off.”

Jackie bowed his head, taking a deep breath. “The Glitch is back, Med… and I… I couldn’t stop him. No matter how hard I try, I never can…”

Schneep could feel the hero’s mood darken the moment he mentioned his nemesis, an angry scarlet intermingling with his thoughts as he took another step towards the door. “You will be able to, Jackieboyman. Do not doubt yourself.” he whispered.

Jackie sighed and pushed open the lab door. “Yeah, well, we’ll see, I guess.”

He left without another word.


	26. First Encounter

The mug Marvin was drying fell to the floor, no longer held by his shaking hands. It shattered. He stood there, frozen, petrified by the blood-chilling roar that reverberated through the small coffee shop. His customers cowered, ducking under tables and letting out cries of fear as explosive flashes of light began to shine through the front windows, accompanied by loud bangs and crashes. 

Marvin shook himself to his senses, throwing down his towel and vaulting the counter to rush over to the door. Outside on the road was a giant, hulking creature, nearly the size of two cars, standing across from a red-suited man. The man thrust his hands in front of him, and to Marvin’s surprise, a beam of bright white light shot towards the beast, striking it in the side and causing it to unleash another roar. The man grinned triumphantly, panting, before charging at the monster with a battle cry.

Marvin turned around and looked back at his customers, most of whom were terrified, letting out small whimpers with every loud noise from outside. He took a deep breath, feeling a hint of magic beginning to gather in his fingers. “Stay calm, everyone…” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “You’re gonna be okay. I— I’ll make sure you are.”

With that, he threw open the door, racing out onto the sidewalk.

It then dawned on him that he had no plan.

Muttering a curse, he pressed his hands to the wall of the cafe and let some of his magic flow into the building. A protection spell. He didn’t know how much it would help if the beast came charging, but he had to at least try to keep his customers safe, regardless.

Across from him, the red-suited man let out another blast of energy, causing the creature to roar in pain, flinging him off of his perch on its back. Marvin cringed as he skidded along the pavement, but he stood back up, wiping blood from his nose.

“Is that all you got?!” he yelled, raising his hands for another blast. The beast roared and ran at him. He fired the blast, but it glanced off the monster’s side, and it swiped a giant, clawed paw out, throwing the man into a nearby building.

Marvin let out a shout of horror as the man slammed against the wall, his body making a sickening crunch.

The beast began to walk towards the man, jaw opening wide, slobber dripping from its pronounced fangs. The man struggled to move, moaning in pain. The creature growled happily, taking another step closer.

“No!” Marvin screamed as the beast leaned down to take a bite.

Suddenly, he was charging the monster. His hands ignited with green flame, and he yelled, thrusting his palms forward and unleashing a torrent of fire towards the beast. It roared as the flames hit its flank, searing the flesh.

Magic rushed through Marvin’s veins, burning hot and painfully as it pooled in his palms. He grunted, forcing the flames farther, hotter, bigger, until the beast was fully engulfed in fire. His arms shook, flames licking up them and burning away his shirt, and he felt his vision begin to dim. He just needed to push… a little… harder…

* * *

“Hey! Hey, dude, wake up!”

Marvin jolted awake, shooting to a sitting position. “AH!” he shouted.

The red-clad man jumped back, startled. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” he mumbled, walking back to Marvin and crouching down. “Are you alright? That was quite an impressive show you put on back there.” He motioned to the charred, smoking corpse of the beast behind him.

Marv nodded. “I’m… fine, I guess.”

“If I may ask— who are you?” the man asked, tilting his head. “I’ve never seen you before… are you a hero?”

“Oh,” Marv laughed. “No, hell no. My name’s Marvin. I’m jut a regular person.”

“Marvin. Hmm. Nice. I’m Jackieboyman. You can call me Jackie. Pleasure to meet you.”

Marvin startled when the man offered him his hand. He slowly reached out to take it, but then pulled back, hissing, as he felt a burning pain all over his hands and arms.

Jackie bit his lip as he noticed the red, inflamed burns all over Marv’s arms. “Oh, shit, man. Your arms…”

Marvin exhaled shakily. “I may have pushed myself a little too hard.”

“Damn.” Jackie stood up, motioning or Marv to do the same. He took a look around, confirming that no one was watching, and turned back to the now-standing magician. “Alright, come with me. I know a guy who can help you with that.”

Marvin looked shocked. “How?”

“You’ll see.” Jackie took off, disappearing into a nearby alleyway. He poked his head back out. “Now follow me, Marvin. And don’t let anyone tail you. This guy doesn’t like random visitors.”

Marvin nodded and ran after him.

Jackie massaged his neck as Marv approached. When the barista caught up, he sighed. “Alright, this way.” He began to walk down the alley, Marvin tailing behind him. He sighed again. “Now, could you start explaining what the hell just happened? Most ‘regular’ people can’t shoot green fire out of their hands. And yet, that seems to be a thing of yours.”

Marv laughed nervously. “Yeah, well… it’s a bit of a long story…”

“We’ve got time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you couldn't tell I like the hero au and I remember really enjoying writing this one


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a-humble-narcissus asked: Too bad for Marv and Jackie that they don’t want to talk about the dragon incident ‘cause I want to know what happened! SO...DRAGON FOR JACKIE AND MARVIN!!!

Jackie took a long sip of his beer before setting it down on the table. “Y'know what I love?” he asked.

Marvin raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Dragons,” Jackie replied. “Dragons are just so cool, man.” He picked his beer back up and drained it. “I wanna be a dragon.”

Marv chuckled, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand and leaning back on the couch. “Really?”

Jackie nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!” He paused, looking thoughtful. “Hey, Marv, d'you think you could, like, turn me into a dragon, with your fancy-shmancy magicalness?”

“I dunno… I guess I could give it a try…”

Jackie beamed. “Oh, please, pretty please!” he exclaimed, words slurring slightly.

“M'kay. Whatever y'say, dude.” Marvin set down his bottle and raised a hand. His fingertips began to glow and pulse, and with a flick of his hand, a shower of sparks fell over Jackie.

As the sparks disappeared, it was clear that Jackie remained very much human, to Marvin’s confusion. “Ah, shit,” he mumbled. “Guess that didn't—”

Jackie brought his hands in front of his face, eyes widening. “Marv, you did it! You did it!”

“What’re you talking about?” Marv asked, dumbfounded.

“I’m a dragon! Look!”

Marvin laughed as Jackie thrust his arm in front of his face. “Jackie, no, you’re not—”

Jackie began to flap his arms wildly and floated up into the air. “I can even fly like a dragon!” he shouted excitedly.

“Jackie, you could already do that!” Marv snorted.

Jackie landed back on the couch, smiling widely. “I’m a motherfucking dragon!” With what sounded like a mix between a shout and a roar, he shot up and bounded up the stairs.

Marvin sighed and rubbed his eyes. Hopefully the spell would wear off by morning, but until then, he had a very drunk, very excitable dragon-man on his hands.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anon asked: Now i wanna see Jackie learning he can fly for tge first time ever .

Trying to take on the gang had been a bad idea. He’d been so confident, almost smug, as he approached them in the alleyway, but that of all had disappeared as they pulled their weapons on him. He was no match for five guys with guns and blades, and it clearly showed in the long gash along his chest. 

The sound of shouts and footsteps behind him made Jackie run even faster, his feet pounding against the pavement as he forced unnatural speed upon himself. He’d pay for using that much energy later, sure, but he couldn’t let them catch up. If they did, well… he didn’t want to think about that. 

A bullet whizzed by his head, and he stumbled, collapsing to the ground. The gang behind him whooped and laughed, and their steps rapidly began to grow closer. Jackie struggled to his feet, feeling a sharp pain in his ankle as he tried to get up and place weight on it. “Shit…” he mumbled, trying to get running again, but with every step, agony shot through his leg. 

The gang continued to charge, firing another shot at the red-clad hero ahead of them. Jackie yelped, turning to begin running again, but his ankle sent nails of pain into his right side. He crumpled. 

“Agh, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, this is bad,” he growled, hearing the footsteps and laughing drawing too close for comfort. Another shot zoomed past him. _I need to get out of here_, he thought desperately. 

Suddenly, an odd, light feeling spread through his body. With a surprised cry, he lurched into the air, feeling only sort of in control of what was happening. 

The gang members screeched to a halt as the noticed the now-floating hero, letting out noises of confusion. They began to fire wildly. 

Jackie’s eyes widened and he shot farther upwards, away from the wild aim from below. He laughed triumphantly, easing himself up higher, feeling himself gaining control. The gang below began to shout in confusion and anger, and Jackie stuck his middle finger up at them before flying quickly, albeit awkwardly, to land on the roof of the nearest building. 

He exhaled shakily as he touched down. “Okay then…” he panted, grinning. “Flight. Alright. We can work with that…”


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for chase's birthday

The wind had yet to lose its winter chill, and it whipped around Chase’s head, ruffling his hair and nipping at his exposed skin. He didn’t mind. It made him feel numb, as did the amber liquid in the half-empty bottle in his hand.

He sighed. He knew that he should be happy, be smiling, be celebrating. It was his birthday, after all. But he felt nothing but emptiness. Swallowing dryly, he took another swig from his bottle.

The only sounds around him were the wind and the city noises from below his spot on the roof, until he heard the door click open behind him. Footsteps shuffled towards him, and a red-clad figure sat down on his left.

Chase didn’t look at him. “Hey, Jackie.”

“Hey.” Jackie set down a plate beside the younger ego, which Chase could see a slice of cake on out of the corner of his eye. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing…” Chase muttered.

“Nothing? It’s your birthday, Chaser. Why are you sitting on the roof?”

Chase bit his lip. “Just… not feeling the whole birthday thing today…” He was torn between wanting to let his feelings spill out to Jackie and wanting to disappear, and his eyes began to sting.

Jackie slid the cake closer to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, heck, Chase, it’s your special day. We can help you feel the birthday thing, if you want…” Chase’s eyes widened ever so slightly in hope. “Y'know, if I have any say, your going to have the best day ever today! So eat up, and then we can go have some fun. JJ’s chocolate cake fixes everything!”

Chest tight, Chase took a timid bite of the cake. Rich and sweet, it melted on his tongue, and he moaned happily. “Yeah…” he murmured through another mouthful. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

Jackie smiled slyly, and reached to muss up Chase’s hair. “Today, little bro, we’re having the best day ever.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obsidiancreates asked: Aloof, Marvin?

He needed to figure out how to wake Jack up. He knew he could. He just needed to find the right spell.

Marvin pored over the tomes spread across his desk, eyes scanning across the pages of an unreadable language as his fingers danced in the air, creating wisps of magic that curled around his fingertips and encircled his wrists. His mouth silently sung the words as he read them, each soundless syllable composing a song in his mind that filled his head with a crystalline chiming and ringing. His eyes began to take on a green glow, and the magic around his hands grew bolder. It sparked and danced and flew around the magician, wreathing him in shimmering smoke. He smiled faintly as the magic began to hum, the low noise filling the room, until—

* * *

Chase knocked quietly on Mavin’s door before pushing it open. His eyes jumped to the mess piling around the room; magical artifacts, discarded tomes, dirty dishes, clothing, all scattered about. He also could see new writing on the walls, the entire space above Marvin’s bed now filled with notes in a language that Chase couldn’t read for the life of him.

In the centre of it all was Marvin himself, surrounded by books and a cloud of smoke. He turned around to face Chase. “What’re you doing here?” he asked harshly.

Chase lifted the mug in his hand. “I brought you some coffee. Figured you deserve some, with all of the work you’ve been doing.” He didn’t mention the obvious bags under Marv’s eyes or the slight shaking in his hands that suggested another use for the caffeine.

Mavin grunted. “Hmm, thanks. I’m sorta busy at the moment… Ehh, I’ll have it in a bit. You can just leave it by the door.”

“Okay…” Chase set the mug down on the dresser by the door. He took a step to leave, then turned around. “Y'know, Marv, you can always take a break, and come hang with us for a bit. You work so hard… and we miss you, bud.”

Marvin turned back to his tomes. “When I figure this out, I’ll take a break with you guys, _and_ Jack,” he replied curtly.

“Alright, then…” Chase stepped out the door, dejected. “See ya later, Marv.”

“Bye.”

* * *

When Chase came back to check on Marv later, the mug was untouched, and Marvin was asleep, head resting on his books. He looked softer and more peaceful than Chase had seen him since he became obsessed with curing Jack.

It almost hurt, to see him like he used to be.

Chase missed him.


	31. Chapter 31

He tried to say focused, to keep a smile on his face. He wanted to seem interested in what Jackie was saying, but the words seemed to melt into each other, becoming a stream of unrecognizable nonsense that was drowned out by the sound of his own thoughts.

Unaware of this, Jackie grinned excitedly as he continued recounting his tale. “… and I flew up to grab her out of the window to save her from the building, which was…”

_You can’t save anyone, not like he can._

“…and then I fucking clobbered him! He went flying back, and then…”

_You try and you try and you try… but you couldn’t save Peter. You couldn’t save Jack. You couldn’t save anyone, could you? You’ll never be a hero like—_

“Hey, Schneep? You alright there?” Jackie asked suddenly, snapping the doctor out of his stupor.

He rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Oh, yes, I am fine.”

Jackie looked at him with concern. “Are you sure, Hen? You seem a little… out of it. Is there something you wanna talk about?”

Henrik didn’t respond for a long minute. “Well, I…” He took a deep breath. “I wish that I would have powers like you, Jackie.”

Jackie looked taken aback. “You… want powers? How come?”

“You…” Schneep sighed. “To hear you talking about saving all of these people… I cannot help myself from seeing all the people that I failed. You are always able to save the day, Jackie. All I can do is fuck up trying to save my patients. I want to be able to do what you do, Jackieboy… I don’t want to be a failure… I want to be a hero.”

Jackie’s face fell. “Oh, Schneep, don’t say that. You’re not a failure!”

“…I am not sure that you are right…”

“Schneep, look at me.” Jackie demanded, placing his hands on the doctors shoulders and looking him dead in the eyes. “You. Are. Not. A. Failure. I know that you only want to think of the times that you couldn’t save someone, but that’s ignoring all the times that you have!

"Remember the girl last week? Emergency heart surgery? If it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t still be here to take care of her kids. Or how about three months ago, when you were able to keep that guy from permanent paralysis? Or…” Jackie paused. “Or even us? If it wasn’t for you, I would have bled out when my arm got sliced open. Marvin wouldn’t have been able to recover from that magic blast back… Chase would have died from the bullet in his temple. Even Jack… Jack would’ve died if it wasn’t for you.”

Schneep quickly tried to brush away the mist clouding over his eyes. “But I am still nothing like you.”

Jackie smiled softly. “Schneep, you’ve changed more lives than I could ever dream of changing, in your own amazing way… you don’t need superpowers to become a hero, Hen… because you already are one. You’ve always been one… you’ve always been a hero.”


	32. The Blackbird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hero au stuff that I wrote solely to make a one line long reference lol

The Blackbird stood in a pool of swirling black smoke, a grin spreading across her face as she addressed the two heroes standing in front of her.

“Jackieboyman and Magnificent… it’s a pleasure to finally meet you two,” she purred. “And for what do I owe the pleasure?”

Jackie scowled at her. “You know why we’re here, Blackbird. Submit now, and we won’t have to hurt you.”

She rolled her eyes, which were half hidden by her black-and-violet mask. “So forward, aren’t you? And what if I don’t feel like it today?”

“Don’t test us,” warned Marvin, letting a small ball of green fire ignite in his palm. “We can and will use force if we have to, so just come with us and we can avoid the consequences.”

The Blackbird put a finger to her lips. “I’m sorry, boys… that sounds like a lovely offer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.” She waved a hand, and suddenly the black smoke at her feet began to spiral upwards. It seemed to cling to her back, forming into an intimidating pair of ink-coloured wings that stretched up into the sky. She smiled. “Besides… I like a good fight.”

She launched into the air and thrust her hand out. More smoke began to pour from her fingertips in a river of darkness, surrounding Jackie and Marvin in a thick cloud that made them choke and cough.

“Doing alright down there, boys?” the Blackbird laughed, diving slightly lower to get a better look at the shuddering and hacking heroes.

Still coughing, Jackie jumped up and flew out if the cloud, stopping to hover across from the villain. “I’m doing wonderfully,” he rasped. “Now let’s see how you’ll be doing after this!” He let a beam of pure white light fly at her.

She dodged it effortlessly, swooping around and back up before letting a spear of smoke form in her hand and throwing it at Jackie. He barely managed to deke out of the way, and it whizzed passed him, embedding itself into a nearby building with a thunk, but not without slicing a gash into his arm first. He hissed in pain.

Suddenly, the Blackbird let out an inhuman shriek, whirling around to see Marvin on the ground, hands smoking slightly from the fireball he’d just thrown at her.

“Suck my dick!” he shouted.

“Marv, language,” Jackie muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose with the hand of his uninjured arm.

“You little—” The Blackbird raised her hands, and writhing tendrils of smoke began to rise out of the ground around Marvin. He glanced around at them in surprise, and attempted to cast a freezing spell on them, but it passed right through.

She cackled and slammed her hands down, and the tendrils mimicked her movement, ramming into Marv with incredible force. She did it again and again, until Marvin lay bruised on the ground, groaning. The tendrils then snaked around his arms and legs, pinning him to the ground.

“Some ‘powerful’ magician you are, Magnificent,” she said. “Maybe you should go back to your card tricks, and leave the heroing to people with _actual_ powers?” She turned back to Jackie. “Now, let’s see if you can do any better.”

Another black smoke spear appeared in her hand, and she threw it at his chest. He shot up into the air and out of the way, and sent another beam of energy flying at her. It struck her leg, and she grunted, falling a few feet.

“Well, I guess one of you two can do _something_…” Two tendrils of smoke shot out from her hands. “But can you handle this?”

The tendrils began to attack Jackie, bashing into him before twisting around him. He furrowed his eyebrows, and with a yell, he let light pool in his palms before his pressed them into the smoke. The ends of the tendrils seemed to sizzle as the light hit them, before dissipating into nothing.

The Blackbird glared at him. “Clever…” She twirled her hands, and the tendrils extended again, even bigger this time. They wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place in the air.

Jackie’s eyes widened, and suddenly he was thrown into the ground, before he was lifted back up forcefully and slammed back into the pavement. The Blackbird smiled sadistically. “Oh my, you’re pathetic!” she shouted. “Such big-shot heroes, and yet, so easy to defeat! It’s no wonder—”

“Hey, bitch!”

She twisted around again to see Marvin, grinning madly and glowing a bright greenish-white. The tendrils that had pinned him down previously lay half-dissolved behind him, sizzling. He raised a hand, cocking it back as if to throw something. “You think we’re pathetic? Well, abraca-fuck-you!”

He thrust his hand forward, and a bolt of magic shot out from his fingertips. It hit the Blackbird square in the chest, and she was thrown backwards, slamming into a building. Her black-smoke wings disappeared, and she slumped to the ground, moaning.

Jackie, his restraints now gone, slowly floated to the ground. He joined Marvin, who had walked over to the Blackbird and was casting a spell that created a pair of magical handcuffs, which he locked around her wrists.

“Nice one, Marv,” Jackie commented.

Marvin nodded. “Thanks. Now if you don’t mind…” He suddenly reared back and punched the Blackbird in the jaw. “And that’s for telling me to go back to card tricks. I’ll have you know, sleight-of-hand is very difficult.”

Jackie sighed. “Good grief, Marv… we should get going.”

Marvin nodded, his lips quirked up in a small smile. “Alright then, let’s head. We’ve got a villain to deliver.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Based on a post by @evyptids about Marvin fading and turning invisible because he’s neglected (like in moomin but I know nothing about moomin… so here’s my take on it!)."

Marvin shuffled into his room dejectedly, feet dragging. He didn’t feel like he had enough energy to even pick them up. He untied his cape and hung it on the door before slumping into the chair at his desk.

Every thought he’d been trying to suppress came rushing into his head, and the brutal weight of what he now knew slammed into him with the force of a bullet.

He’d come… last.

Out of all the egos, he’d come dead last.

Out of all the egos, he was the least favourite.

Out of all the egos, he was the one no one cared about…

His breaths hitched, and he bit back a half-sob. Tears began to gather in the corners of his eyes, and he let his head drop into his hands.

Why was this so painful feeling? His heart clenched in his chest, and his eyes stung, much to his own anger. It was just a stupid poll! Why did it even matter?

A few tears streamed down his cheeks, and he quickly lifted up his mask to wipe them away.

It shouldn’t matter, right?

He slumped over, resting his elbows on his desk. His shoulders shook, and he tried to pull in a deep breath, but could barely manage a short gasp before he broke out sobbing.

He sat, shaking, body wracked with his quiet, pained cries, until he couldn’t remember how long he’d been there. There must have been some reason that he lost. There must have been! Maybe something had gone wrong, or…

Or maybe they just didn’t care.

He didn’t deserve it, anyway.

With one last gasping sob, he ripped off his mask and threw it down into the table. It was worthless.

Just as worthless as he was.

As his mask clattered on the desk, he felt an odd numb feeling at the back of his mind. A cold hollowness began to fill his body, and he shivered.

Suddenly, the world seemed to drain of colour and vitality. Everything seemed dull and lifeless around him, and he felt just about the same. Then it dawned on him that he couldn’t see his hands, despite the fact that he felt the edge of the desk pressing into his palms, directly where he was looking.

Apathy closed in on his mind, smothering him even further, and his troubled thoughts melted into dim resignation. He didn’t actually care that his hands were gone.

He almost hoped that the rest of him was too, and he felt almost a pang of relief when he noticed that he couldn’t see his reflection in the glass of his window either. 

If no one liked him, why should he worry about being seen? It’s not like they cared anyway.

He didn’t turn around as the door creaked open behind him.

“Marvin?”

It was better this way.

“Marvin? Marvin, where are you? Marvin!”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a sequel to the last chapter

Chase stared into Marvin’s room in confusion. He’d seen his brother walk in, heard his quiet sobbing, and yet… the vlogger couldn’t see anyone inside.

“Marv? Are you in here? What’s goin’ on?”

He didn’t receive a response, but then he heard quiet sniffle coming from near Marvin’s desk.

“Marvin?” he said tentatively.

Something shifted in front of the desk. It looked like… it looked like Marv’s blue shirt, much to Chase’s confusion. Was it… floating?

Chase walked over to the desk. He could see the magician’s mask on the table, looking as though it had been carelessly discarded. That was odd. Marvin didn’t often take off his mask, and when he did, he was very careful not to damage it. He reached out a hand to touch it—

Something cold and weak grabbed at his wrist, wrapping around it in what seemed like a feeble attempt to pull him away. Chase spun around to see what was, in fact, Marv’s blue shirt, seemingly floating in midair. As he tried to look around, his eyes almost slid off the space around the shirt, refusing to focus on one spot, and when he looked down, he realized that he couldn’t see anything touching his wrist. His eyebrows furrowed in concern. Suddenly, a quiet noise startled him out of his budding confusion.

“Chase…”

The voice was faint, and Chase strained to hear it. His mind seemed to want to gloss over it, to not pay attention to the sound, but… he knew, without a doubt, that that voice was Marv. Marvin was still here, but something… something had—

“Marvin? What happened?”

Marvin sobbed quietly. “I… I don’t… I don’t know. They don’t care about me. And now I’m… gone.”

Chase lowered himself into a crouch and turned to face Marvin’s shirt, and presumably, Marvin himself. “So… you’re… invisible? Is that what happened? Is it… because of the poll?” he asked softly, a tinge of worry lacing the words.

“I guess,” Marvin replied, his voice empty.

Chase exhaled shakily. “Okay, well… we’re gonna fix this, Marv. Let’s go get the others, and we’ll find a way fix this.” He reached up and wrapped his arms around Marvin, pulling him in for a hug. He buried his face in Marv’s chest, and Marvin let out a sob. “We’ll get you back, bud. I promise.”


	35. To Stop A Heist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was written after the announcement of a heist with markiplier. does it make sense still? idk lol

From the moment he stepped into the museum, something felt off.

He’d arrived at the beginning of the evening for his shift as the museum’s lone night security guard. There had been an exhibit change earlier that day, something from a “real haunted house”, supposedly, and the other guards had jokingly told him to watch out for ghosts as they’d left. He’d laughed it off. Ghosts were bullshit, right?

Now he didn’t feel so sure.

When he had circled around to look at the new exhibit, he felt a chill in the air, and as he inspected the large, shattered mirror that was in the centre of the display, he could have sworn that something— or someone— moved within the broken shards of glass. Unnerved, he hurried back to his post, itching for the night to be over so he could go home and sleep off the odd feeling in his chest.

Suddenly, from down the hall, he heard an echoing crash. A muffled shout of obscenities bounced down the corridor, along with two voices speaking in hushed whispers.

“Nice going, Mark. Now they’re gonna know we’re here.”

“They definitely will if you don’t shut up!”

The security guard reached for the walkie-talkie at his chest, and began to walk down the hallway towards the noises. He clicked the button on the device and whispered into it, “Security breach near the front entrance. I repeat, security breach near front entrance. Over.”

He edged closer to the corner of the hallway. The voices had stopped, and no more sound emanated from the next room, but he let his hand rest on the baton near his hip just in case. He stepped into the room to see—

Nothing.

His walkie-talkie beeped on. "Sending backup to assi—" The sound broke up with brief interference. “—repeat, sending backup, do not enga—” The walkie-talkie snapped off in a crackle of radio static. The guard looked at it in confusion. That’d never happened before…

He pressed the button on top again. “Hello? Do you read me? Over,” the guard hissed at it.

The walkie-talkie fizzled back to life, but instead of the voice of the person that had just talked to him, a loud, ringing tone began to play from its small speaker.

The security guard cried out as the sound suddenly intensified, growing louder, drilling into his head. It no longer seemed to just be coming from the walkie-talkie… instead, it filled the room, echoing off the walls. He curled into himself, cringing away from the noise.

“Oh, they can’t hear you, not anymore.”

A hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him upright. He spun around to come face-to-face with another man… and when he saw him, all the colour drained from his face.

The man wore a suit as dark as the night sky, a pure black so dark it hurt to look at. He was all shades of grey, his face colourless and twisted into a cruel smile. Outlines of red and blue surrounding him, occasionally breaking away with roaring screams before snapping back into his body, and an aura black smoke swirled around him, draining the room of colour.

The guard whimpered as the man addressed him. “Just one of you? How pathetic. I bet you think that you can make a difference in the event of an—” He laughed. “—'emergency’. Tell me, what is your job here?”

“T-to protect the museum a-and it’s artifacts…” he replied, voice shaking as the man’s pitch-black eyes bore into him.

The man chuckled. “How quaint. Well, I’m afraid that you will no longer be needed. The people about to rob you? I’ve been looking for them for a very long time… so I’ll make sure to handle their deviant ways for you.”

The guard could only nod, shaking too much to do anything else.

The suited man took a step away from the guard and began to walk away. He then spun back around slowly. “You didn’t happen to see anything in the mirror, did you?”

The guard whimpered again. “I-I did, yes.”

The man’s expression darkened. “Well… that is… unfortunate to hear.” He turned away again and walked to the edge of the room. As he reached the doorway, he turned and faced the guard one last time. “I’m afraid that there is one last thing I must do.”

The dark smoke began to extend off the man’s body, slithering over to the guard in inky tendrils. He flinched away as they grew closer. “What are you doing?” he asked fearfully.

The man smirked. “My friend, you’ve seen far to much.”

And with that, a tendril of the smoke whipped up and stabbed through the guard’s heart.

* * *

Dark smiled as he walked away from the room where the guard lay on the floor in a pool of his own blood. One guard. How _pathetic_. He brushed his hands together and straightened his suit as the tendrils of his aura retracted back into him.

Now…

He had a heist to stop.


	36. Training

The bandages wrapped around Jackie’s knuckles did little to stop the bleeding as he slammed his fists into the punching bag hanging in front of him. He could tell that he was going harder than he should, but he needed something to focus on other than the thoughts swirling through his head, injuries be damned. And so, his fists continued to slam into the bag, the slaps echoing dully around the small training room.

His teeth clenched as the thoughts flooded back in. Why couldn’t he be stronger? He trained and worked and practiced and yet it was never enough. There was always someone who he couldn’t defeat.

He threw a brutal hook at the bag, which swung back and forth with the force of the punch.

There was always a villain that could take him down, or a disaster that he couldn’t prevent. There was always someone that he couldn’t save.

He looked at himself in the mirror wall on the far side of the room as he threw another punch into the bag. His eyes were steely underneath his mask, and his knuckles were bloodied and bruised. In only a tank top and shorts, he could see the scars littering his body, a chronicle of every time that he’d failed in the past. He grunted and hit the bag again. He didn’t want to think about that.

The sounds of his fists against the punching bag and his laboured breathing were all that could be heard for a moment, and his head momentarily felt a bit clearer as he focused on the emptiness.

But just as soon as the tide had rolled out, it came crashing back in.

He could see his brothers scared faces in his mind’s eye. With every punch, he tried to drive the images away, but he knew why he was really down here.

He needed to be able to protect them. He was the hero, the protector! They were counting on him to be strong. And they believed in him.

He let a small smile onto his face and moved in for a kick.

But as he connected, another face appeared in his thoughts. A twisted, grinning face, with pitch-black eyes and blood dripping down its throat. It whispered at him, lips stretching out over its ever-slightly-too-sharp teeth as it seemed to lean in closer. 

“Why͘ ͞d̢o yoù ev͠e͟n b͡ot̶h́e̡r,́ ͞he̡ro͘?̀ ͞Ýou͠'̴ll̢ n̵e͟ve͏r b̡e̵ ͘st̸rong̸ en͜ou͡gh͝ an̡d ҉you̷ kn̛o͞w i҉t.̨ E̡v̵ery̸ párt͟ of̵ ͠yo̡u ͜know͡s it…”

“I will be strong enough, just you wait…”

It laughed in response, and Jackie threw another angry punch into the bag. “Just get out of my head…” he growled.

The face smiled with insane glee. “Ḿay͏be yǫu͢ sh͟o͞u̕ld ̀ju̷s͞t give ̴up̶, hęrø.̵..”

Jackie’s eyes darkened. “I said… get out of my head!” He cocked his fist back and then rammed it into the bag, filled with pure rage.

A loud boom exploded from around his hand, followed by a rippling shockwave. The glass mirror of the far wall shattered, and the punching bag immediately looked in tatters, suddenly split down the middle. Sand flowed out of it and pooled at Jackie’s feet.

He stood there in shock. The face was gone from his head, and all he could hear was a loud, persistent ringing in his ears. He blinked once, then twice in confusion, and lowered his fist, which was still outstretched.

What the _fuck_ had he just done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> supersonic punches babey!


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw major character death

Jameson was born wearing red bracelets. From the day he was created, they had been there, tight crimson threads encircling his wrists.

Most days, he would barely notice them. They’d seem to fade from view, and he’d forget about them until he caught a glance of the scarlet twine again.

Some days, they would itch and tug, and JJ would fiddle with them, trying to stop the irritation. They’d always feel different on those days, like they produced an acid which would seep into his veins and pool in his stomach. It would make him want to go tear something apart. On those days, he’d hide in his room until he felt like he was safe again.

Today, they were something he hadn’t felt since the day he was created. The bright red threads were taut around his wrists, constricting and controlling. They poured acid and static into his bloodstream and guided his hands to the only thing that would satiate the new hunger that filled him, a hunger for suffering and destruction.

They snaked up and cut into his throat as he moved in on his brother, wrapping his hands around his windpipe and squeezing. The strings pulled, tightening his grip further.

Chase’s eyes bulged, and he spasmed, his air slowly being cut off. Jameson smiled, eyes empty, as the other ego’s face turned purple and he fell limp.

For a moment, something felt off. What was he—

Static and acid and static and acid and static and acid.

He turned to leave, once again numb to the lifeless body on the floor. He still had work to do.

And as he walked away, the red bracelets made him smile wider.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shy-3po asked: Gonna put this off-anon to make double-sure this s ends:: Schneep makes a radioactivey potion with his science knowledge. He vlaims itll be in case of emergency, if Anti gets Jackie and they need a new hero with the same powers. It spills on him (bc ofc.) And he literally wakes up with Jackies superpowers!!!'

It was just in case, he had said. If something were to happen to Jackie and they needed another protector, it could provide another option. Something to fall back on if worst came to worst.

He said he’d be careful with it…

He should have been more careful.

Schneep stood in his lab, his heart pounding as he stared, frozen at the sickly, glowing green serum that coated his hands and the front of his lab coat. The shards of a broken vial lay on the counter in front of him.

“Scheisse,” he whispered hoarsely, rushing over to the sink to try to rinse off the vibrant liquid that covered his hands, though he knew it was in vain. The serum began working immediately upon contact. He’d made it that way.

He bit his lip. It wasn’t supposed to be him. He was the healer, not the fighter. It should be Marvin, or Chase… not him. He didn’t want this…

His heart sped up, and his vision began to blur as his breathing became panicked and shallow.

He didn’t want this. There was so much that could go wrong… he wasn’t prepared… why him? Why had he been so careless?

Suddenly, heat began to pool in his hands, along with a tingling sensation that made his heart drop. His hands began to shake, and it almost looked like as they trembled, small shockwaves were emanating from them.

He let out a choked cry as everything suddenly went dark and silent, and he stood there, terrified. before his sight and hearing came back without warning. But it all seemed different. His eyes wouldn’t focus on one thing, and yet he felt like he could see everything, all at once, in perfect detail. The sounds around him seemed to have doubled in volume, and he shrunk inward.

This couldn’t be happening.

He sunk to his knees and covered his face with his hands. Maybe this was all just his imagination. Maybe it’d all go away—

* * *

“Hen, wake up! Are you okay?”

Schneep woke with a start to see Jackie crouched over him, looking concerned.

“Henrik, what happened? Are you alright?” he asked.

Schneep sat up, rubbing his head. “Yes, I am alright.” He then looked up at the counter, where the remnants of the broken vial lay. “Remember the serum that I was creating?”

Jackie nodded. “The magic potion of superness?”

Schneep chuckled. “If you would like to call it that… well, it…” He made a quiet noise and motioned with his hands to mime glass shattering.

Jackie looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “Does that mean…?”

Schneep took a deep breath, focusing on Jackie. The doctor felt his eyes seem to shift, and suddenly he could see in incredible detail. Every pore on Jackie’s skin, every hair on his head. every thread in his sweater, was crystal clear. He could hear Jackie’s heartbeat too, loud and quick in his chest.

That was not normal at all.

He let out the breath slowly. “Jackieboy… I think that I have your superpowers.”


	39. Chapter 39

Chase stared into the bottom of his empty glass, his reflection staring back at him with red, puffy eyes and tearstains down its cheeks. He sighed dejectedly and placed his hands over his face.

It was gonna be one of those nights.

He didn’t move as he heard soft footsteps padding down the stairs, nor as the chair beside him was pulled away from the table with a squeak.

A hand touched his back. “Are you alright, Chase?” asked a quiet voice in a thick German accent.

Chase sighed and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

“Were you having a hard time sleeping, _mein bruder_? I may have some pills for that, if you would like.”

Chase shook his head again.

“Ah, very well, then.” The voice paused. “I could get you some water, if you would l—”

“Whiskey,” Chase rasped. “I want another whiskey.” He looked up, desperation filling his eyes.

Schneep shook his head sadly. “Not at this hour, Chase. You need to go back to bed.”

Chase placed his head on the table. “I— I can’t…” he mumbled. “I keep seeing them.”

Henrik nodded. “Well… then we will just have to find a way to stay awake.” He picked up Chase’s glass. “But first, I am getting you some water.”

Chase closed his eyes. A glass thunked down on the table beside him. “Thanks…” he muttered.

Schneep sat down quietly. “Of course.”

They sat there in comfortable silence, until eventually, Henrik slumped forward, fast asleep. Moonlight glinted off his tilted glasses, and as Chase lifted his head to look at him, he smiled. It was nice to have some company.

Maybe it wasn’t going to be one of those nights after all….


	40. Chapter 40

Marvin appeared in the living room in a puff of green smoke, right in front of where Chase sat on the couch.

The vlogger startled. “Oh, shit, hi, Marv… wassup?”

Marvin smiled. “Chase, I’ve got a new trick! Wanna see it?”

Chase nodded. “Hit me.”

“Alright, so…” Marvin pulled his mask down and grabbed the edges of his cape. “When you think of magic shows, a few tricks always come to mind: ones like sawing someone in half, guessing someone’s card, or levitating someone, right? And, of course, there’s one more, a trick that every good magician knows…” He brought his cape around front, covering some of his face with it and staring at Chase over the top. “Every magician worth their wand can pull a rabbit out of a hat…” His eyes crinkled in a smile. “… but sometimes, if they’re very skilled, some can every pull one out of thin air…” He flourished his cape, letting it fall away and revealing a small white rabbit with brown speckles perched in his arms. He beamed. “Ta-da!”

Chase clapped, gasping. “A bunny?! Oh my god, it’s so cute and tiny and fluffy! Marv!”

Marvin placed the rabbit on his shoulder. “Isn’t he adorable?!”

Chase nodded excitedly. “Can I hold him?”

His face lit up as Marv handed him the rabbit. He brought it to his chest, choking with joy as the bunny sniffed at him. “What’s his name?” he asked.

“Joshua Tobias Jenkins.”

Chase chuckled. “Joshua? I would have thought he’d be named, I dunno, like, Marshmallow or something.”

Marvin looked at him in pretend disappointment. “His name is Joshua Tobias Jenkins! I encourage you to respect that, because you’re gonna hurt his feelings.”

Chase laughed, handing him back the rabbit. “Okay, whatever you say, bro.”

Marv placed Joshua Tobias Jenkins back on his shoulder. He then paused, waved his hand, and conjured a purple carrot, which he then held up to the rabbit.

Joshua Tobias Jenkins nibbled on the carrot happily.

Marvin patted him softly on the head and then sighed. “Alright, I gotta get going. It’s Joshua Tobias Jenkins’ first show tonight and we need to make sure its mind-blowing.”

Chase snorted and waved. “Have fun, then. Break a leg.”

Marv nodded. “Will do.” He twirled his cape around him, and then he and Joshua Tobias Jenkins disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bunn y


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for a decently bad, bloody injury

“Maybe you should be more careful with your secrets, Jackieboyman.”

Jackie spun around to see the masked villain that he had been chasing for weeks standing at the edge of the roof. He had Chase in a chokehold, smiling maliciously at the hero’s horrified expression as his brother struggled to breathe.

“Your personal info is less than well-protected, you know. Finding out who you care about was so easy…” he commented, choking Chase tighter.

Jackie tried to call himself as Chase’s face began to go purple. “Let him go, and I won’t have to hurt you,” he ordered, his voice wavering almost imperceptibly.

The villain laughed. “Not a chance, Jackieboy. Now, maybe if you do exactly what I ask if you, I won’t kill him.” He loosened the hold on Chase’s neck, allowing him to take a shallow, desperate breath. “How does that sound?”

Chase looked at Jackie in fear, and Jackie’s eyes narrowed in determination.

“It sounds like bullshit.”

Jackie leaped over to the villain in a blur and through an angry punch. The villain ducked and threw Chase to the ground before dancing out of the way. Jackie kicked out wildly and connected with the villain’s shin, earning a pained shout. He smiled and ran at the man, tackling him to the ground.

They grunted as they hit the ground. After a few seconds, Jackie pinned the villain to the ground. “Give up and let us go,” he hissed.

The villain smiled. “Never.” His foot connected with Jackie’s chest.

Jackie went flying backwards, arcing through the air and skidding across the gravel rooftop. The villain laughed as he struggled to his feet.

“Just do what I ask, Jackieboy, and all’ll end well!”

Jackie shook his head, eyes darkening, and took a step towards him. The villain backed closer to the edge of the roof.

He looked back quickly. “What’s your plan, Jackieboy? Push me off?”

“If I need to.”

Chase whimpered a little as Jackie spoke, and Jackie glanced at him. “Chase, are you—”

The sound of a gun cocking interrupted him. The villain stood at the edge of the roof, a small handgun aimed at Chase. “I’ll ask you one more time, Jackieboy: do what I ask, or I’ll blow his brains out.

Jackie looked between them frantically. "No—”

The villain grinned. “Yes.”

Jackie took a step towards him. “Put down. The gun. Now.” He took one more step.

A gunshot rang out across over the city. Chase’s leg exploded in a spray of red. He screamed.

“Burn in hell, Jackieboy,” the villain spat, bringing the gun to his own temple. “You’ll pay for the things you’ve done to us.” His head snapped to the side, gushing red, and he topped off over the side of the building.

Jackie rushed over to Chase, who was holding his bleeding leg, tears rushing down his face as he screamed hoarsely, his eyes glazed.

Jackie dropped to his knees. “Chase, Chase, talk to me, buddy.”

Chase gripped his leg tighter, babbling, blood pouring from the missing chuck out of his shin. Jackie could see the white of his bone through the mangled skin and muscle, and he sucked in a quick breath. “Okay, buddy, we’re gonna get you to Schneep. You’re gonna be okay, okay?” He scooped Chase up, and he screamed again, agonized.

Hopefully he could get him home before anything could happen…

Because he didn’t like to think about what would happen if he didn’t.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sadcat5555 asked:Dark and Wilford accidentally switch bodies some how, and Wilford finally understands how much pain Darks (dead) body is constantly in.

Wilford awoke with limbs made of lead and cotton in his skull. His neck felt like it had snapped as he’d slept.

Groaning, he sat up. Why did he feel so awful this morning? He rubbed his eyes, then threw off his blanket and slid out of bed.

That’s when he realized that it wasn’t his room… it was sparsely decorated, full of dark colours and simple furniture. The bed he had just been in was a simple grey, compete with fine silk sheets.

And there wasn’t a hint of pink anywhere…

“Why, this is ridiculous! My room isn’t… nearly… this…” Wil trailed off, hearing the sound of his voice. It was smooth and deep, echoing throughout the room. “What the?”

He recognized that voice.

He ran over to the mirror. No, it couldn’t be… that wasn’t possible! He must just be—

He froze as he stared at his refraction.

Dark stared back at him.

He let out a sharp laugh. Was he Dark now? How has that happened? If he was Dark, then was Dark him? The though of Dark struggling to stay sane in Warfstache'a room made him chuckle.

Then his eyes lit up. This was amazing! Now he could act as Dark! Get away with anything he wanted to! Not have to care about Da—

His body locked up, and he fell to his knees. His head was suddenly pounding, and his neck and spine felt like there was an ice pick though them. He could feel an aching hole in his abdomin, and he doubled over at the pain it created, dry-retching onto the floor.

His aura began to split and crack, and it felt like he was being pulled apart. He screamed hoarsely, and darkness ate away at his vision before he collapsed.


	43. Chapter 43

Schneep could sense Jackie’s dark mood from the moment he walked in and silently rolled up his sleeve, revealing a large gash for the Medic to heal. As he pressed his hands over the wound, he looked at Jackie. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Jackie nodded.

Henrik sighed. “Did we win?”

“Barely. There were a few lives lost… but we pulled it off…” he replied coldly before muttering, “… no thanks to you…”

Schneep froze. “Excuse me?”

“You’re never there in the fights, Med. The rest of us are out there, putting ourselves into life-or-death situations, and you’re just sitting at home. Seems like you’re not always pulling your weight,” Jackie spat, the muddy red of anger and grief thickening and swirling around him, which Schneep noticed in worry.

Schneep pulled down Jackie’s sleeve over his now-healed arm. “This is how I pull my weight, Jackieboy, and you know it,” he said quietly. “My power is not for fighting, it is for healing.”

Jackie stood up and began walking towards the door. “Well, it’s a weak, lame-ass power, then.”

Henrik stood up in anger. “Pardon me?!”

Jackie turned around. “I said, it’s a useless power. You can’t fight for shit!”

Schneep felt anger filling his chest as Jackie turned back towards the door again. He glared at him, and something snapped.

“You want to see power, then? I will show you power.”

Jackie looked back at Schneep to see his eyes glowing faintly. “Wait, Med, what are you—”

He was cut off as he felt something change inside him. A cold nothingness began to replace the anger and grief in his chest, and he collapsed to his knees. Schneep watched him, face blank and arm extended, eyes still glowing as though he was possessed.

Jackie’s face blanched. He felt hollow, the emotions disappearing from inside of him. His vision began to dim, and he began to shake.

“P-please, Med… stop… I’m sorry…” he begged, throat dry.

Suddenly, the feeling receded, and he slumped to the floor. Schneep sank to his knees in front of him, the glow draining from his eyes. He looked at his hands in surprise and concern.

“I— I am sorry, Jackie,” he stuttered. “I did not know that I could do that…”

Jackie just nodded, dumbfounded. “Okay…” He got to his feet, a little bit of fear in his chest. “See you later.” He left quickly.

Schneep let out a shaky exhale as he shut the door. “Well… scheisse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boys stop fighting


	44. Shattered Mirrors

Marvin jolted awake to the scalding feeling of magic being pulled out of his veins.

He tried to jump to his feet, biting back a pained scream, only to be held down on his knees by chains around his wrists. His eyes burned, and he blinked rapidly, trying to decipher his surroundings. As his vision cleared, he realized that all he could see was darkness.

Swallowing bile, he ventured, “Hello?”

As soon as he spoke, bright fluorescent lights flashed on over head, and he flinched away. Echoing cackles rang out around him.

He looked back up to see a cold, empty, room with a cracked tiled floor. A few feet away from him stood a figure cloaked in shadow, the silhouette of a knife dancing in its hand.

“You.” Marvin growled. “What do you want?”

The figure giggled and stepped out of the shadows. Blood poured down his throat, and his knife glistened in the harsh fluorescent light, slicked with red. “That’s no way to greet an old friend, magician.”

“Fuck off. What do you want, Anti?” Marvin repeated, louder this time. “I swear to god, if you don’t let me go, I’ll fucking destroy you.”

Anti grinned. “So confident, kitten. But this is my playground. You have no power here.”

Marvin yanked against his chains, trying in vain to summon his magic. Static popped and crackled around his hands, and he clenched his fists.

“See?” Anti twirled his knife, a smug smile flitting across his lips.

Marvin narrowed his eyes. “What. Do. You. Want?” he asked angrily, gritting his teeth.

Anti walked over to him and crouched down. Using the tip of his knife, he lifted Marvin’s chin. “Simple… I want your help.”

Marvin jerked backwards. “You… what? Why?”

“Can’t you feel it inside you? That little voice inside that makes you want to do what you’re really meant to do?”

“I— I don’t know what your talking about…”

Anti stood back up. “You aren’t as pure as everyone would like to think you are, magician. I’ve seen it, and I know you know what you are.” His formed glitched, and suddenly, he was standing behind Marv with his hands tenderly resting on his shoulders. He bent down to whisper in his ear. “Power corrupts, kitten. You’re no exception.”

With another crack of static, he appeared back in front of Marvin. “We’re not so different, you and I…” he purred, static lacing his words. “Can’t you see yourself in me?” he asked gleefully, form glitching as he transformed into a perfect mirror of Marvin, long hair tangled and eyes bloodshot. He grinned. “Can ya now?”

Marvin shuffled backwards. “Stop! You’re wrong!”

The room filled with static. Anti cackled, and suddenly, mirrors lined the walls of the room, reflecting Marvin an infinite number of times, his desperate eyes looking back at him from every direction.

“Take a good look, kitten. I know who you are. Join me, and we can take over. Have real power.”

Marv steeled his gaze and looked up at Anti. “No.”

Anti’s smug expression wavered for a moment, almost imperceptibly. “I was worried you’d say that.”

The mirrors began to glitch, and soon showed new images, ones that made Marvin’s stomach turn.

Anti giggled. “I’ll give you a choice, Marvin. Join me and give me your power, and I’ll let your brothers go…” He gestured his knife at the reflections of the other egos, chained and bloodied, staring at Marv through the mirrors. “Or continue to defy me, and I’ll make you watch as I tear them apart. You’ll be able to hear their bones splintering, see the blood spilling from them as I slice out their muscles and carve out their still-beating hearts, hear their screams before I tear out their vocal chords.” As he spoke, his words came less and less from a voice, and more from the screeching sound of static, weaving its way into Marvin’s head and suffocating his thoughts. “So, what is your choice? Jack, or your beloved brothers?”

Marvin lowered his head, feeling something warm and wet running down his cheeks. “Fine… I’ll join you, just… let them go… please…” he whispered weakly.

Anti cackled and exploded into static. Marvin’s head whipped back, and he screamed as he glitched painfully. The mirrors around him shattered, the shards of glass slicing into his skin as they flew around the room. Laughed echoed loudly off the walls, and Marv could feel magic returning to his blood, laced with static and pain and control. His eyes shot open, glowing a sickly green. With flick of his hand, some of the mirror shards flew into the air, forming into a cat-shaped mask not unlike the one he used to wear. It settled onto his face, the sharp glass digging into his skin and causing rivers of blood to run down his cheeks, staining the glass red. He smiled manically.

“Perfect!” Anti cackled, his voice coming from nowhere and everywhere at once. His words were merely static. “You’ll make a lovely pet, kitten. Now, it’s time to wake up… I’ll see you soon… very soon.”


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obsidiancreates asked: Hmm... Jackie and Marvin, and one final snack that they both want?

Jackie eyed the last slice of pizza hungrily. “Hey, Marv, are you wanting…?”

Marvin set down his drink, looking contemplative. “Hmm, I’d have to think about it… wait, no I don’t, of fucking course I want it!”

He and Jackie looked at each other for a long moment, and then Jackie smiled before lunging for the pizza. Before he could grab it, though, it had flown high into the air.

“You’ll have to try harder than that!” Marv laughed.

Jackie glared and leaped at it, his fingertips grazing the bottom as Marvin levitated it even higher off the counter. “Hey, not fair!”

Marvin wheezed. “Not fair? You can fly, you dipshit!”

“Oh. Right,” Jackie mumbled, shooting into the air. “It’s on!” He took off towards the pizza, which Marv had sent flying to the other side of the room, and proceeded to chase it around for a while, much to Marvin’s delight.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he raced back towards Marvin, grabbing a blanket off the couch as he went.

“Wait, what are you—?” Marvin began, only to be cut off as Jackie through the blanket over his head.

Jackie cackled and flew back over to the pizza, plucking it out of the air. “Ha!” he exclaimed, holding the slice up triumphantly. “I win!” He lifted the it towards his mouth, about to take his first victorious bite, when the entire slice exploded into particles of light.

He whipped around to see Marvin, blanket thrown off of him, holding the pizza with shit-eating grin on his face as he bit into it. “‘m ‘fraid not,” he mumbled through the mouthful of food.

Jackie stuck his tongue out and flopped back into his seat. “Cheater…”

Marvin grinned and took another bite. 


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "@obsidiancreates suggested last night that I write a hero au fic where Schneep and JJ have to help out Marvin… it’s spiralled out of control from there.
> 
> tw temporary character death

“Timekeeper?“ Marvin asked quietly, watching the figure slowly step forward out of the shadows of the alley. 

The Glitch smiled behind his mask as the man moved to stand next to him. "I’ll give you a choice, M͘agn̕͞i̧͝͡f͢i̧c͘e̛͟n̨t̵: join my ranks, or I’ll let my pet here show you what a mistake you’ve made.”

Marv growled. “You think I’d ever join you? Bullshit.” He let a small flicker of flame slowly climb up his arm, readying himself for a fight. 

“I was̢ w͠o̶r̀ŗi̸e͡d ҉y͢ou'̵d͝ saỳ t̴h̢a̸t…” The Glitch grinned, and his eye flashed green. 

The Timekeeper’s head snapped up violently, and he took a step towards Marvin. 

The magician raised his hand. “Not a step closer, buddy, or I'll— what the—?”

The Timekeeper cocked a grin, and the flames in his hand disappeared. He felt bile rise in his throat, dizziness sweeping him as he tried to light the flames again, only to have them snap off a second later. All he could feel was déjà vu. 

“He could keep doing this forev͢e̛r҉, you know? Throwing you back a few seconds, back to when you didn’t have your magic flowing,” The Glitch said, giggling. “You’d n̷e̷v̧er ͞wįn.”

Marvin scowled. “Well, you won’t win this, Glitch.”

The masked man threw his head back and cackled. “I have time on my side, Magnificent! I’ve already ẁo҉n͡!” He snapped his fingers, and the Timekeeper nodded. 

Marvin screamed. 

* * *

All Jameson could hear was the ticking of a clock. His head was filled with static, and all he could think of was the ticking, loud and constant. 

Loud and constant and his. 

The man in front of him had steel in his eyes and flames at his wrists, but as he looked at JJ through his cat-shaped mask, betrayal and fear flickered across his face. 

He was causing that fear, the expression deepening every time he wound back time on the man, extinguishing his flames. The static told him to be proud. 

He was. 

Suddenly, he felt it push him towards the man, so he walked. As he grew closer, the ticking grew louder and the static grew thicker. 

And then it told him to take. 

The ticking rang in his ears and he knew and he wanted to take 

take everything take it all it was his it was his it was all his to do with as he pleased every second every minute was his he needed to tākę i͜t͠ 

He needed to take everything. 

He barely registered the man in front of his screaming as he pulled the years from his life, slowly syphoning off every minute, watching them twirl around him in a delicate dance until the man collapsed to his knees and then onto the ground, no life left to give. 

Static and satisfaction settled into his chest. It was his. 

The ticking rang in his ears, loud and constant. 

Then the static came and whispered in his ear, stoking his hair gently. “Good job, little Timekeeper. Such a good little p̢up͡p̧et, taking and taking and taking,” it whispered. JJ nodded, not feeling the tears dripping down his face. “You did so well…”

The static rushed in, and he blacked out. 

* * *

Jameson came to, head spinning. His whole body ached, and he sat up, head spinning. What had just—

Magnificent lay, unmoving, on the pavement in front of him. 

All at once, the memories of what had just happened came crashing in on him, and he struggled not to throw up.

**“No, no, nonono,”** he cried, crawling over to the hero. **“Magnificent, wake up, wake up!”** His slides flashed rapidly as he shook him, although inside he knew it was pointless. 

Magnificent was dead. 

And he had killed him. 

His breath caught, and he felt all the blood drain from his face. 

He…

He killed someone. Took every second of time they had from them. 

And he’d enjoyed it. 

His breathing began to speed up, and he grabbed his hair, rocking slowing back and forth. Slides flickered in the air beside him, filled with apologies and denials and silent pleas for help. 

With tears pouring down his cheeks, he wished desperately that he could scream. He needed help he needed help he someone god help

Everything around him shattered. 

Ticking rang in his ears. 

help who could help he needed them here now he needed help what had he done? 

He pulled. 

* * *

One moment, Henrik was quietly enjoy a cup of coffee, and the next, he found himself next to the Timekeeper and Magnificent. 

One of whom was panicking, the other dead. 

Schneep’s heart dropped. Swirling around the Timekeeper he could see bright orange of panic, laced with the muddy reds and purples of grief and fear. 

And around Marvin was nothing. 

The Timekeeper looked up at him, desperation and mania in his eyes. **“Please, Medic, you must heal him! I’ve done something to him, taken all his time, but I know that you can save him! Right?”**

Henrik looked down at the two of them, colour draining from his face. “_Mein_ _freund_… I cannot heal someone who is already dead.”

The Timekeeper’s face dropped. **“No, you must. I couldn’t have killed him, no… No, no, no…”**

Schneep took a step back, feeling something around him start to shift. 

**“No, I couldn’t have, no, oh what have I done whathaveIdonewhathaveIdonewhathaveIdone?”**

With that, something fractured. 

Henrik stumbled backwards, only to be pulled back to where he was a few second prior, and then to find himself with his hands pressed to Marvin’s still chest. The Timekeeper seemed to be experiencing the same thing, jumping forwards and backwards in time, his expression rapidly changing. Schneep managed to find a second to look up, only to see the time of day begin to change, jumping from night to day like a skipping record. 

“Timekeeper!” he tried to yell, feeling his words get swallowed up by the jumps. He was thrown to his feet again. “Timekeeper, you must stop this!" 

He threw himself forward, arms wrapping around the smaller man. With a thought, he grabbed hold of his emotions and began to reign them in, trying not to be too harsh about it, feeling a little bit guilty about using his powers without consent. 

"Let us calm down now, _ja_? It is alright,” he whispered, patting his back. “You can explain to me what has happened, and then we can see what can be done.”

The Timekeeper nodded slowly, his breathing still shaky, and Henrik gently pulled out of the hug. 

“Tell me what has happened.”

The Timekeeper took a deep inhale. **“Something had me not in my right mind, doc. It told me to…” He looked down, breath hitching. “It told me to take the Magnificent’s time from him. And I couldn’t say no, so I drained the living right out of him, year by year. And now he’s gone and it’s all my fault and—”**

Schneep shushed him. “It is not your fault, Timekeeper. It is, I will assume, the Glitch’s. He is an evil, evil man, and it is not your fault what he made you to do.”

**“…no?”**

“Of course not. You were not the one in the controls of your own mind. What you can control for, though, is what you do now, _ja_? If you could take the years straight out of him, then why not see if you can put them right back in his little body?" 

**"I could try…”** replied the Timekeeper tentatively. 

Henrik kneeled to the ground, placing his hands on his friend’s still body, praying that the plan would work. “I will do the healing of him at the same time, to help. Now, work your timey-wimey magics! Little Marvin is not done on this Earth quite yet!”

The Timekeeper took a deep breath and placed his hands on Marvin’s body as well.

* * *

Marvin awoke to a ticking, loud and constant. His body and mind ached, and he swore as he sat up, feeling like he’d aged a hundred years. 

He pried his eyes open to see two very tired, very relieved looking people beside him, their hands lingering near him. 

**“It worked…”** said the Timekeeper. 

Marvin blinked, shocking away. “What worked? Are you not still evil or possessed or whatever now? Am I missing something here?”

Schneep patted him. “Perhaps it is best if we explain later. You have had a long day.”

He shrugged. “Whatever you say, man. I just need a nap.”


End file.
